'Nazi fetish' housing chief is suspended

A senior council official has been suspended by London's Hammersmith and Fulham Council after newspaper allegations that he was involved in Nazi fetishism.

The Sunday Mirror published photos of Gareth Mead posing in Nazi uniform and in front of swastikas on what was said to be a gay sex website.

According to the newspaper, he also sent text messages to fellow-users of the site which read "Turn on the furnaces for those Jewish boys and let them burn in hell" and "Gas the Wogs".

A council spokesman would say only: "Gareth Mead has been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing."

Mr Mead is in charge of social housing and homelessness at the council with a salary of between £78,000-£98,000.

It's a private fetish and Jews do it too

In his defence, he was quoted by the newspaper as saying: "It's a private fetish - I'm not interested in anything political and I'm not a racist. There are Jewish men who do this as well."