A disgraced Croydon councillor who took advantage of his wife’s mental illness to “fleece” her of her home, forcing her to sleep on the streets, is continuing to defy calls for him to resign from his position.

Matthew Kyeremeh was last month suspended from the Labour Party after a damning court ruling revealed he set out "with determination, deliberation and calculation" to deprive Angela Kyeremeh of income from the sale of her house and flat, leaving her “homeless and destitute”.

The Thornton Heath councillor was sacked from his role of deputy cabinet member for communities, safety and justice and publicly condemned by senior Labour party figures, who urged him to step down from the council following the March 21 Family Court judgment.

Council leader Tony Newman today said he had received "not one email, not one phone call, nothing" by way of contact from Cllr Kyeremeh since his suspension.

RELATED: Croydon councillor Matthew Kyeremeh left wife homeless after exploiting her mental illness to 'fleece' her of properties

But Cllr Newman said he did not plan to publicly denounce his former colleague at Monday night’s council meeting.

He said: “I'm not planning to say anything beyond what I've already said. I've made my views clear.

“I can say that now, but you don't know what situation might arise.”

Cllr Kyeremeh could not be reached for comment yesterday and it is not known whether he plans to attend Monday's full council meeting.

He told the Croydon Guardian last month that he would be taking legal advice before deciding whether to resign from the council.

Cllr Kyeremeh is thought to have travelled to New York amid a storm of condemnation after news of his misdemeanours emerged.

District Judge Delia Coonan, sitting at Croydon Family Court, took the unusual step of publishing her judgment because of Cllr Kyeremeh’s public role.

It revealed the councillor "harangued" his wife - later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia - into selling the flat in 2005 while she was unable to challenge him because of her deteriorating mental health.

Despite the couple divorcing in 2006, Ms Kyeremeh received only £15,000 of the £95,621 income from the sale of her house in 2007, the court found.

Since the judgement was published the disgraced councillor's behaviour has been reported in a number of national media outlets, with Cllr Newman warning "there could be more to come".

Cllr Kyeremeh has remained unrepentant about his conduct, telling the Croydon Guardian he was "disappointed" with his Labour colleagues for his suspension from the party He added: "I have maintained that what the judge has done is not fair and it is not the whole truth.

"People who know me know I would know otherwise. Anybody who has gone through a divorce would understand.”

Got a story? Call the newsdesk on 020 8722 6388 or email daniel.omahony@newsquest.co.uk