Former One Bermuda Alliance General Election candidate Doug De Couto has been appointed to the Senate to replace Marcus Jones who quit after controversial remarks about teenagers.

Cole Simons, the leader of the OBA, said today: “As a fresh new face to the Parliamentary team, the One Bermuda Alliance warmly welcomes Doug to the Party.

“He is well qualified and we look forward to working with him and to his contributions in the Upper House as our newest senator. We have every confidence in his capabilities.”

Mr Jones resigned last Thursday after he came under fire for comments that teenagers invited abuse by posting inappropriate images of themselves.

During a senate debate on Teen Dating Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, Mr Jones said: “I do believe our young people are inviting this type of behaviour because they are ignorantly getting on social media and putting themselves in harm’s way.”

Mr De Couto is executive vice president, group head of exposure managemen at Aspen Re and Aspen Reinsurance Holdings.

He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has fed his passion for history through his position as the National Museum of Bermuda’s chairman of the board of trustees.

Mr De Couto was also Corporal and Acting Sergeant for the Royal Bermuda Regiment between 2005 and 2010.

He has participated in the Big Brothers Big Sisters programme and was part of the Campus Committee on race relations.