Tory peer’s affair with Olympic show jumper exposed in court
A TORY peer’s affair with a former Olympic show jumper has emerged after she appeared in court accused of daubing the walls of his London flat with pigs’ blood.
Lizzie Purbrick, who competed in the 1980 Olympics, allegedly broke into Lord Prior of Brampton’s flat in May while he was out.
Camberwell Green magistrates’ court in south London heard on Tuesday that she is alleged to have painted insults on the walls with two pints of blood.
Simon Nicholls, her lawyer, told the court: “It is said she has gone to her exlover’s flat in London with two pints of pigs’ blood and daubed the walls with words and symbols.
“Lord Prior is the complainant and the address is the location where they would meet.”
Ms Purbrick, 63, from Wells-nextthe Sea, in Norfolk, has denied burgling the flat with intent to do unlawful damage.
She is due to stand trial next month,
The Sun reported.
The alleged incident is said to have happened at Lord Prior’s flat in Kennington, south London, on May 9.
Lord Prior, 63, is thought to be separated from his wife.
The Cambridge-educated Lord is a prominent Remainer and has previously rebelled against his own party in a bid to derail Brexit.
In March, he was among 19 Tories who voted to strip Theresa May, the Prime Minister, of the ability to walk away with no deal.
In 2016, Lord Prior also urged Theresa May to stay in the single market as he pushed for a soft Brexit, adding: “My personal view is that leaving Europe was a terrible mistake.”
He served as MP for North Norfolk between 1997 and 2001 before losing his seat at that general election to Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat MP.
Under David Cameron’s government, Lord Prior also served as a health minister, and is now a parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Ms Purbrick competed at the World Championships in the US in 1978.
Following the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, Ms Purbrick was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the European Championships the next year.