Mayor charged over gay marriages

THE mayor of a small town in the US was due in court yesterday charged with 19 criminal counts for performing gay marriage ceremonies.

Jason West, the mayor of New Paltz in New York state was charged with solemnising marriages for couples who had no licenses, a minor crime under the domestic relations law, according to Ulster County District Attorney Donald Williams.

Although West could face a maximum penalty of a year in jail, the prosecutor said a prison sentence was not being considered at this point.