Voters question heavy punishment

Robert Courtney, 60, of Prospect Street, Barnsley, said there was no doubt he had done wrong and that there was a suspicion among some of his constituents that he had “tried to hide what he had done”.

Mr Courtney, who has lived in the town since 1974, said: “He has done a lot of good and some people will fell that he has been used as a scapegoat for what others have claimed.

“But you have to ask the question, if he had not been caught, would he still be claiming things he isn’t entitled to?”

However, he added: “If you look at his record he has been a good MP, so it is actually sad that it has come to this.”

Artist Runima Kakoty, who was born in India but has lived in Barnsley for more than 30 years, said Illsley was no worse than many other politicians.

Mrs Kakoty, who lives just a few streets away from Illsley’s constituency home in the Pogmoor area of the town, said Illsley was a “good man” and added: “He didn’t do anything that many others didn’t do.”