**Cardiff Councillor Imran Latif Convicted Following Protest Action at Police Station**
A Cardiff councillor has been found guilty of involvement in a protest at a city police station and has been handed a conditional discharge. Imran Latif, the elected member for Penylan on Cardiff Council, attended court on Tuesday 6 May 2025, where he admitted to chaining himself to another individual inside Cardiff Bay Police Station during a pro-Palestine demonstration last June.
The incident occurred on the evening of 3 June 2024, as tensions rose in the capital following a series of protests sparked by the conflict in Gaza. South Wales Police confirmed that 16 people were arrested after a spontaneous protest unfolded at the station’s front desk at around 9:30pm, just hours after an earlier demonstration in the city centre drew a crowd of up to 60 people.
Councillor Latif, aged 45, was initially charged with two offences. At the hearing, he pleaded guilty to locking himself to another protester to cause a significant disturbance. However, a subsequent charge—relating to the use of threatening or abusive language likely to cause alarm or distress—was dismissed after the court ruled there was insufficient evidence to proceed.
Represented in court by Nadeem Majid of M&M Solicitors, Latif’s defence clarified that he had not been involved in the earlier demonstration in the city, but had gone to the police station out of concern to discover what had happened there. The prosecution outlined that the protest at Cardiff Bay Police Station was related to the arrest of an individual at the earlier demonstration near the city centre.
Mr Majid told the court that Councillor Latif “fully realises the foolishness” of his actions at the police station and noted that his client had been “fully transparent” throughout the legal process. District Judge Mark Layton subsequently handed Latif an 18-month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay a total of £776 in court costs and associated fees.
Official commentary from Cardiff Council confirmed that a conditional discharge from the Magistrates’ Court does not remove Latif’s legal right to continue in his role as councillor. “A conditional discharge by a Magistrates’ Court does not preclude a councillor from acting in the office of member of a Local Authority in Wales,” noted a council spokesperson. It was further highlighted that the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales will review the matter, to determine if Latif’s actions may have breached Cardiff Council’s Members’ Code of Conduct.
For his role in the events of last year, Councillor Latif had already been suspended by the Welsh Liberal Democrats pending the outcome of the legal proceedings. In light of the court’s findings, the party has indicated that it will now consider the incident as part of its internal review process.
Reflecting on the conclusion of the case, Mr Majid expressed relief on behalf of his client: “The conclusion of the matter today resulting in one of the two charges laid against him being dismissed is a great weight lifted off the shoulders of councillor Latif, who has had this matter hanging over his head for some time.” He added that Latif was grateful to his legal team and intends to carry on serving his constituents in Penylan.
This case brings to light the difficult balance faced by public officials who are caught between their responsibilities as elected representatives and their personal convictions, especially in the context of highly charged political protests. Ultimately, while the law has taken its course, the question of Latif’s future within Cardiff Council and the Liberal Democrats remains to be fully resolved.
The broader debate around the right to protest and the conduct expected of public representatives is likely to continue, particularly amid ongoing tensions surrounding international developments and their impact at a local level. Cardiff Council and the wider community will await the Ombudsman’s findings and any subsequent action from the party leadership with interest.