A mayor in Melbourne’s outer west has temporarily stepped down from his position just a week after being elected, following revelations he provided a character reference for a convicted child sex offender.
Wyndham City Council’s Preet Singh wrote a character reference for Kashyap Patel, who in 2024 was convicted of grooming and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
The County Court judgement for Patel noted Mr Singh, a friend of 13 years, had given a reference indicating the offender was a man of “good character”.
Today, Mr Singh posted to social media, announcing deputy mayor Jasmine Hill would now be acting mayor “while this matter is considered”.
“The character reference I provided was given prior to my election. I recognise that, regardless of timing, this has raised legitimate questions about judgement. For that, I am deeply sorry,” Mr Singh said.
“I sincerely apologise for any hurt or harm caused, particularly to the victim and those in our community impacted by this issue.“
The situation has prompted the local government minister to appoint a monitor to “restore stability in the leadership and ensure good governance”.
“I am deeply concerned by the ongoing instability in leadership at Wyndham City Council,” Nick Staikos said.
“The ratepayers and residents deserve a council that is entirely focused on them.”
Community plans to take action
Mr Singh’s announcement came as members of the local community prepared to protest outside council chambers, calling for him to resign.
“I respect the right of community members to express their views, including through peaceful protest,” Mr Singh said.
“I am reaching out to offer to meet with those leading the demonstration, to listen and convey my sincere sympathies directly.”
Wyndham City Council has faced a string of controversies. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
This afternoon, Wyndham City councillors released a joint statement also demanding on Mr Singh’s resignation.
“On Monday we became aware that Cr Singh had provided a character reference for a convicted child sex offender. Since that time, we have been working behind the scenes to urge Cr Singh to step down. We can no longer remain silent,” the statement read.
“Supporting child sex offenders is never acceptable in any form.“
The statement was signed by all 10 other councillors, including Cr Hill and former mayor Josh Gilligan.
Under the Local Government Act, councils are unable to remove a mayor who has been elected for a one-year term.
“We firmly believe that following Monday’s revelations and the Mayor’s refusal to resign, he is no longer fit to hold the Office of Mayor and will be unable to adequately perform the duties of the role,” the statement said.
“Only a resignation will give us the opportunity to restore stability and get on with the job of delivering services and infrastructure for Wyndham.”
In a second statement published late today, the councillors also welcomed the appointment of the monitor.
“While we never wanted to be in this position, we have had our hand forced by a mayor who refuses to do the right thing and step down,” the statement read.
“Wyndham Council has never been more united, and we look forward to working with the monitor to restore stability and get on with the job of making decisions in the best interests of the community.”
On Monday, Dinesh Gourisetty was ousted as the Liberal Party’s preselected candidate for its upper house ticket for the Western Metropolitan region, after it emerged he had also provided a character reference for Patel.
Mr Gourisetty won the top spot over Liberal MPs Moira Deeming and Trung Luu.
The Liberal party has now reopened candidate applications, which will close tomorrow, with another preselection convention to be held at a later date.
Mr Singh was elected as mayor of Wyndham City Council on March 23, after his predecessor was stood down for misconduct.
Josh Gilligan was suspended from Wyndham City Council for one month, after an investigation found he failed to comply with the council’s code of conduct when he made an abusive Facebook post about former mayor Kim McAliney in September 2025.
Mr Singh was also the Liberal candidate for the Victorian seat of Tarneit in 2022.
