Jailed ex-MP a ‘sexual predator’ who told a pack of lies, says judge

Former government whip who assaulted two women is locked up for two years

Former Dover MP Charlie Elphicke has been described by a judge as a “sexual predator” who “told a pack of lies” as he was jailed for two years for sexually assaulting two women, nearly a decade apart.

The disgraced 49-year-old father of two showed no emotion as judge Mrs Justice Whipple sentenced him to an immediate prison term for three counts of sexual assault, following a monthlong trial which heard trained lawyer Elphicke lied to police, senior Tories, and his wife.

Sentencing him at Southwark Crown Court yesterday, the judge said: “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 had 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.”

She said “the gross breach of your position of power” meant an immediate custody sentence was required.

He was also ordered to pay £35,000 in costs, although his lawyer said he had “a fair bit of debt”, and that his estranged wife Natalie Elphicke loaned him £100,000 to pay for legal bills.

It has since emerged that his 20-yearold daughter, Charlotte, had become estranged from him, while his wife, his successor as Dover MP, ended their 25-year marriage upon his conviction.

In a statement, Elphicke said he would appeal against the conviction, adding he was “innocent of any criminal wrongdoing”.

Prosecutor Eloise Marshall QC previously described Elphicke as “an accomplished liar”, and said witness testimonies from the complainants were “almost identical” to each other, despite being from two women who did not know each other.

The court heard Elphicke initially denied any knowledge of the allegations against the parliamentary worker when he was summoned before Tory party whips in January 2017. He also admitted lying to police about the same issue, banking on him not being prosecuted and being able to keep it from his wife.

He became a government whip under David Cameron’s premiership in 2015, but returned to the back benches when Theresa May came to power the following year.

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. MRS JUSTICE WHIPPLE

Picture: PA. Charlie Elphicke, former Conservative MP for Dover, has been jailed for two years.