Council candidate Leigh Eustace hits back at ‘hurtful’ attempt to smear his election campaign for leaking criminal past

A council candidate for the Mornington Peninsula Shire whose criminal conviction for heroin trafficking was leaked says it’s a hurtful attempt to smear his election chances.

Mt Eliza businessman Leigh Eustace, who served on the council from 2008-2012, said it was a bid to discredit his campaign.

He told Neil Mitchell he was a heroin user and an addict in the 1970s when he got in with the wrong crowd.

‘I’m a very different person to what I was 38 years ago when I was charged with this offence,’ he said.

‘The feedback I am getting is that they (the community) are proud of me for what I am doing,’ he said.

‘I’ve opted to try and do something for the community, give something back, and try to represent the community that elected me in 2008 to 2012.’

He said he hoped the Mt Eliza community would see him as the person he is today and for turning his life around.

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