Defeated Hamilton mayoral candidate Sonia Grant’s about-face in court over whether election laws were wrongly interpreted last autumn was described as “unattractive” by Chief Justice Richard Ground yesterday.

Miss Grant lost out in the battle to become Mayor of Hamilton to Sutherland Madeiros on October 26 by 124 votes to his 161. She launched a legal bid to have the result overturned, claiming that a decision to allow companies, associations and partnerships to change the name of the person or nominee registered to vote on their behalf after notice of the election was published was wrong.

The case has been heard in the Supreme Court all week and is likely to finish today, with Mr. Justice Ground expected to reserve his judgement to a later date.

On Wednesday Miss Grant’s lawyer, British QC Alan Newman, admitted that Kelly Miller, the secretary of the Corporation of Hamilton and the registering officer for the election, did not act unlawfully when she added new nominees to the register the day before the vote.

Mr. Justice Ground said yesterday that Miss Grant had now adopted the opposite view on the nominees issue from her original petition. He said the change of stance was “unattractive” after she had stigmatised Ms Miller and returning officer John Cooper — the two respondents in the civil case — as “corrupt and even fraudulent” for their interpretation of the laws.

Mr. Newman said it was a change of legal position.

“I would hope that it’s always possible to retain a degree of flexibility,” he added.

On the first day of the hearing, Mr. Newman told the court his client had dropped any allegation of wrongdoing against Mr. Madeiros.