Sex ‘fantasist’ must pay MP damages

A FORMER Liberal Democrat MP is to receive libel damages from an alleged fantasist who made unsubstantiated rape claims against him.

John Hemming, 58, has scored a major High Court victory against Esther Baker, 36, who has tormented him for four years with unproven claims of child sex abuse.

A judge has barred Miss Baker from trying to uphold allegations of rape and sexual abuse she has made against Mr Hemming in court papers.

Miss Baker insisted her allegations were correct but the judge ruled that her ‘denial that her allegations of rape and sexual abuse by the defendant (Mr Hemming) were untrue’ should be struck out of the documents. Miss Baker, who in 2015 won the crucial backing of Labour deputy leader Tom Watson over her hotly contested child sex allegations, launched a libel action against Mr Hemming claiming he had defamed her, including calling her a ‘fantasist’.

The former politician, who has consistently denied her accusations, countersued her for defamation, accusing her of ‘malicious and deliberate lies’. In a preliminary court hearing last month both sought to have each other’s claims dismissed.

Yesterday Mr Hemming emerged the substantial winner with a ruling by one of the country’s senior judges, Mrs Justice Steyn, which could bring the whole set of proceedings to an early end next month.

She said: ‘It follows from the decision I have made in respect of the counterclaim that the Claimant (Miss Baker) cannot contend that the Defendant (Mr Hemming) raped her or anyone else, or that he sexually assaulted her or stalked and defamed her to cover it up.’

And the judge ruled that unless, by December 17, Miss Baker amends her reply to the defence filed by Mr Hemming against her claim, her claim will be completely struck out.

She ruled that he was entitled to damages – to be assessed later – on his claim against Miss Baker, a betting shop worker recently made bankrupt. She represented herself in court.

The complex judgment ran to more than 13,000 words. Mr Hemming was the member for Birmingham Yardley between 2005 and 2014.