A FORMER councillor who admitted forging signatures on a nomination paper has been handed 60 hours community service as punishment.

Robin Evans, 41, pleaded guilty at Preston Crown Court to two counts of forging signatures on a nomination paper for the 2004 Earcroft, Darwen, by-election.

Evans, who told the court he did not have a home address because someone had set fire to it, first became a councillor for the BNP after winning the 2002 Mill Hill by-election.

He later quit the BNP and formed his own British National Socialist Party, but was voted out of Mill Hill in the 2004 local elections.

In July 2004, Evans decided to stand in the Earcroft election, which had been delayed after sitting councillor, Michael Barrett, had died.

Preston Crown Court heard on the morning nominations closed for that election, he discovered fellow BNSP candidate Natalie Finn did not have enough supporting signatures.

Prosecuting, Ian Whithurst, told the court Evans went to the house of the Kerfoot family to seek support.

Several members of the family had signed hisnomination.

The court was told that although several members of the Kerfoot family had signatures on Miss Finn's nomination, not all were genuine.

Then, when he arrived at the town hall to hand in the nomination - just minutes before a noon cut-off - he was told another of the signatures on Miss Finn's nomination was also invalid.

Minutes later, Evans returned to the town hall, where staff saw his aunt's signature had appeared.

They contacted the police who began an investigation.

Evans had admitted forging his aunt's name prior to yesterday's hearing, but added a guilty plea to the charge relating to the Kerfoots' signatures in court.

Blackburn with Darwen Council leader, Coun Kate Hollern, said: "I think a 60-hour community order is ridiculously lenient. It doesn't begin to take into account his attempt to corrupt democracy."

The criminal conviction means Evans cannot stand for election for five years.

Phil Watson, election returning officer and Blackburn with Darwen Council chief executive, said: "We treat all potential electoral offence cases very seriously as this case underlines."