A WOULD-BE MP who pipped Cherie Booth’s stepmother to become a prospective Parliamentary candidate is facing an uncertain political future after she deliberately damaged her ex-boyfriend's car.
Janet Oosthuysen, PPC for the Calder Valley seat, was chosen ahead of Steph Booth by Labour Party members last month.
It was a tight contest, with only a handful of votes separating the rival candidates.
Police confirmed that in April last year the divorced mother of three teenage children had scratched 44-year-old Craig Moore's BMW 320.
A police spokesman said: “'She was interviewed on June 2 and made a full admission and was subsequently cautioned a week later.’’
Miss Oosthuysen, who was born in South Africa, said: “The end of this relationship was a very difficult part of my life. I genuinely regret this incident; everyone makes mistakes.
“I co-operated fully with the police at the time and I now regard the matter to be closed.’’
But some members of the Labour Party in Calderdale have voiced concern.
One said: “What she did shows poor judgement. The vote was very tight and if this information had been available it could have changed the way in which at least half-a-dozen people voted, probably more.’’
