A JUDGE who allegedly had a relationship with a £250- a-night rent boy remains suspended — nine months after an investigation into the claim was launched.

Gerald Price QC remains under investigation following claims he had a secret affair with a 25-year-old man.

In an interview with a Sunday tabloid last June, Christopher Williams said the married Swansea Crown Court Judge set him up in a flat and let him sit on the bench in court.

When news of the alleged affair broke, the Office for Judicial Complaints said Judge Price was not being suspended.

However, a week later a spokeswoman confirmed Judge Price would not preside over any cases until the outcome of its inquiry was complete.

She said: "Having considered the allegations against Judge Price, the Lord Chief Justice and Lord Chancellor have decided that he should be suspended pending the outcome of the investigation into his conduct."

Yesterday, a spokesman confirmed the investigation was still ongoing.

The spokesman also confirmed Judge Price was still being paid while the investigation continued. Married man and father-of-two Mr Price is a well-known figure among the legal fraternity in Swansea.

He has also stood as a Parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party in three General Elections, and been an Anglican lay preacher since 1969.

The 60-year-old is currently a circuit judge sitting at Swansea and Carmarthen Crown Courts, and is thought to earn around £129,000 a year.

In his interview with the News of the World, Mr Williams gave a detailed account of his alleged affair with Judge Price.

He claimed he was paid for sex, and that Judge Price took out a £550 tenancy on a Swansea Marina flat so the pair could meet up.

The Guide to Judicial Conduct states a judge "shall conduct himself or herself in a way that is consistent with the dignity of the judicial office".

The spokeswoman for the Office for Judicial Complaints said she could not comment on how long the investigation would take to complete.

Judge Price declined to comment on the investigation.

alex.brown@swwmedia.co.uk