He’s a sex predator who lied to jury, Tory whips and his wife
Judge jails ex-MP for two years
FORMER MP Charlie Elphicke was yesterday jailed for two years for sex attacks on two younger women.
The disgraced 49-year-old, who called himself the “naughty Tory” as he chased one of his victims, was led to the cells with the scathing words of a judge in his ears.
Mrs Justice Whipple told him: “You’re a sexual predator who used your success and respectability as a cover. You required both women to come to court and give evidence about the assaults you made on them. That was not easy for them and they displayed great courage.
“They told the truth, you told a pack of lies, not just to the jury but, as became clear, to your wife, the whips and the police as well.” In victim statements read to the court, one of the women, a parliamentary worker in her 20s at the time of the attacks, said: “I still remember how he made me feel, those feelings of fear and hopelessness he inflicted on me. My inner scars will always be there.”
The other said the assaults “had a lasting impact”. Elphicke had claimed his two victims were lying when they gave tearful accounts of their ordeals at his hands. But a jury at Southwark crown court dismissed the former lawyer’s suggestions and he was found guilty in July.
Wife Natalie, who succeeded Elphicke as MP for Dover, ended their 25-year marriage after his conviction. Elphicke said he would appeal against the conviction, insisting he was “innocent of any criminal wrongdoing”.
Despite their split, Natalie also supported him. She said: “There is no doubt Charlie behaved badly. However, everyone has the right to a fair trial and I don’t believe that he has had one.” Elphicke attacked the f irst victim, who was in her early 30s, in 2007 after inviting her for a drink at his home in Belgravia, Central London.
He kissed her and groped her breast before chasing her around his home, while chanting: “I’m a naughty Tory.” The second victim said Elphicke tried to kiss her and groped her when they met for a drink in Westminster in 2016. Det Sgt Michael McInerney, of the Met’s Complex Case team, said: “Elphicke was persistent in his sexual advances. These were alarming, distressing incidents for both women and I would like to acknowledge their courage in reporting them.”
A Tory spokesman said: “Sexual assault is an appalling crime and it is right that perpetrators are punished by the courts.”