Chase was like ‘Benny Hill’ skit
A FORMER Tory MP’S pursuit of a woman round his kitchen was like a “Benny Hill sketch” a court was told.
The alleged victim of Charlie Elphicke rang her sister to tell her about the incident at his family home in London in 2007, three years before he became MP for Dover.
Her sister told the jury: “She was clearly distressed, she was saying, ‘He chased me round the kitchen.’
“When
I recalled it to my husband
(later), it just seemed totally bizarre. It seemed like something out of (sketch show) Benny Hill.”
Elphicke, 49, is also accused of sexually assaulting a second woman in 2016.
He denies three counts of sexual assault.
DOMINIC Cummings will tour some of Britain’s most highly classified national security sites ahead of plans to shake up the military.
Boris Johnson’s chief adviser will visit the SAS headquarters in Hereford, it was claimed yesterday.
He has also requested a trip to the Special Boat Service based at Poole, Dorset, where Britain’s elite soldiers train, such as SAS: Who Dares Win star Ant Middleton.
And he plans to visit the chemical weapons research centre at Porton Down in Salisbury, Wilts, the Rapid Capabilities Office at Farnborough, Hants, and the defence intelligence unit at Wyton, Cambs.
The PM’S controversial aide, who was criticised for travelling from London to Durham at the height of lockdown, is said to have already visited spy agencies MI5 and MI6.
The news comes amid reports of plans to slash armed forces numbers, which have been denied by the Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
A major review of defence policy has been delayed until 2021.
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran said those who care about the armed forces should be “deeply worried”.
She said: “This is unprecedented, and comes after a Tory MP threatened the Chief of the Defence Staff.
“Everyone who cares about our armed forces should be deeply worried by these developments. Britain’s defence should not be the political plaything of Dominic Cummings.”
Mr Cummings, who was widely mocked after driving 30 miles from Durham to Barnard Castle in April to “check his eyesight” before returning to London, has criticised what he considers defence waste in the past.
He claimed the military “continued to squander billions of pounds, enriching some of the worst corporate looters and corrupting public life via the revolving door of officials/ lobbyists”.
Tory MP Mark Francois warned the head of the armed forces, General Sir Nick Carter this week that Mr Cummings would “sort you out” after complaining about Ministry of Defence procurement.
The PM’S spokesman confirmed the visits, adding: “It’s really not unusual for senior government figures to visit government sites.”
DOMINIC CUMMINGS Age: 48
Known for: Being the PM’S chief adviser and taking questionable trips to check his eyesight
TV fame: Being played by Benedict Cumberbatch in Brexit: The Uncivil War
Previous jobs: Adviser to ex-education Secretary Michael Gove and Vote Leave campaign director
Relationship status: Married to Mary Wakefield
ANT MIDDLETON Age: 39
Known for:
TV fame: