A congressman has been accused of using his position to help his partner's son receive favourable treatment after he was arrested over heroin offences.

Dan Donovan, who represents Staten Island in New York, is said to have intervened after the son of his partner Serena Stonick's was arrested with a female friend for the 'criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance (heroin)' in December 2015. 

Timothy O'Connell was detained with his friend at 112 Precinct in Staten Island, according to an allegation filed with the Office of Congressional Ethics last week.

The document claims Donovan visited the 122 Precinct and 'used his position to illegally request that officers issue O'Connell and [the friend] a "desk appearance ticket" instead of proceeding with normal arrest protocols'.

These tickets allow the arrested person to be released from custody to appear in court at a later date rather than being jailed, arraigned or sent to central booking.

Desk appearance tickets are usually issued for minor drugs offences and are rare for heroin arrests, a police source told the New York Post.  

Read more on dailymail.co.uk.