I feared I’d be attacked says Tory MP who crashed car and f led
He was wearing leather mini-skirt and high heels
AN MP who failed to stop after crashing his car while wearing women’s clothes said he fled because he feared being attacked, a court has heard.
Conservative Jamie Wallis crashed his Mercedes into a telegraph pole at 1am while wearing high heels, pearls and a leather mini-skirt, witnesses said.
The MP for Bridgend, who told the court he was transgender, said he had lost control after swerving to avoid a cat.
Yesterday he was given a £2,500 fine and a six-month driving ban.
Wallis told Cardiff Magistrates’ Court that he had become ‘overwhelmed with fear’ due to post-traumatic stress disorder from a recent sex attack, which left him feeling he would be ‘raped, kidnapped, or killed’ if he stayed at the scene of the crash.
He was found guilty of failing to stop, failing to report a road traffic collision and leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position. He was cleared of driving without due care and attention.
After the crash in the village of Llanblethian, near Cowbridge, shortly after 1am on November 28 last year, witnesses approached Wallis to check on his wellbeing, the court heard.
Residents Adrian Watson and Natalie Webb told the court they heard a ‘very loud bang, significantly louder than a domestic firework’ and went outside to see amber flashing lights and the car having hit the pole.
Both witnesses asked if Wallis was OK and then told him they were calling police, at which point he started walking away, the court heard.
As they followed him, they saw him make two phone calls during which he told someone he was being ‘accosted’. He was then picked up by his father Daryl Wallis and driven home.
Mr Watson said the person in the Mercedes was ‘a white male wearing a white long-sleeve top which was tight to the body, a black leather PVC mini-skirt, tights, dark shoes with a high heel and a pearl necklace’.
Police went to the Wallis family’s home and forced entry out of concern for the MP. Wallis was found in bed. The black leather skirt and pearl necklace were found next to the bed and were seized by police.
Wallis, who had been driving to his estranged wife Rebecca’s home nearby, told police he was ‘overwhelmed with fear’ after seeing the witnesses approach at the scene.
‘I was in fear for my safety and believed I was going to be attacked,’ he said in a statement to police. He said he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after being raped in London in September and became obsessed with his safety, having nightmares and flashbacks.
Wallis said that the last time he had worn women’s clothes was during the alleged rape and he felt ‘vulnerable’ when he saw witnesses approaching him after the crash. He had ‘feelings of disorientation and confusion’ following the crash, and also felt nauseous, he said in his evidence.
Wallis said he had been raped at his London home but has not yet reported the alleged attack to police.
His consultant psychiatrist confirmed she had diagnosed him with PTSD five days before the crash.
Wallis insisted he ‘fully intended’ to report the crash to police as soon as he was able. However, Carina Hughes, prosecuting, said phone records showed he had sent text messages and made phone calls 20 to 30 minutes after the crash.
Convicting Wallis on three of four counts, Judge Tan Ikran said he ‘didn’t find the defendant credible in the evidence he gave’. He said the MP’s actions on the night did not suggest he was ‘overwhelmed and acting out of fear’.
‘Having PTSD is not a defence,’ he added. ‘The prosecution have proved that he was able to make decisions that night – he made bad decisions.’
Wallis, of Cowbridge, was also ordered to pay additional costs of £620 and a victim surcharge of £190. He refused to comment afterwards.
A Conservative Whips Office spokesman said: ‘We will not be taking any further action and will continue to provide welfare support.’
Wallis became the first MP to come out as transgender in March. He revealed he had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria having ‘felt this way since I was a very young child’. He said he wanted to transition to be a woman but would continue using male pronouns ‘for the time being’.
‘He made bad decisions’