THE SEX TAPE THAT SHAMES TORY PARTY
REVEALED: Police in ‘Tatler Tory’ case to probe revenge porn video leaked to MoS
THE Tory Party was last night rocked by the revelation of a new blackmail plot involving a bombshell sex video – which David Cameron’s disgraced Election aide Mark Clarke tried to leak to the media.
Clarke, the ‘Tatler Tory’ already at the heart of a deepening scandal engulfing the party, made a copy of the film in which one of his Conservative foes was duped into performing a sex act on the internet.
The ‘victim’ had previously refused to pay a £2,500 blackmail demand, and the film was then posted on his Facebook page.
The man, whose name is being withheld by The Mail on Sunday, has told police and Conservative chiefs he believes Clarke was responsible for the film.
Clarke last night denied he was to
blame, although he has admitted in the past that he tried to ‘expose’ the film via ‘the media’ to help prevent such scams.
The Mail on Sunday has obtained a copy of the film as part of our investigation into the scandal engulfing Clarke, who is accused of bullying a Conservative activist who later look his own life. With the consent of the victim, we are handing the sex film to police, who are to investigate.
The disclosure came as Clarke was accused of being involved in an attempt to entrap a female Conservative enemy into being filmed snorting cocaine, after she was plied with alcohol at the House of Commons.
The woman was among those who had complained to Tory HQ about Clarke’s conduct during the Election campaign.
Incredibly, the sex video plot and the attempted drugs ‘sting’ occurred on the same day. They came four days before both victims were due to go to Tory HQ on September 7 to give evidence to the party’s official inquiry into Clarke.
It is claimed that the plots were part of his campaign to silence his accusers. However Clarke says that he has been targeted by Conservative chiefs because he threatened to expose ‘endemic drug taking’ in the party.
Clarke, 38, was dubbed the ‘Tatler Tory’ after the society magazine tipped him for Cabinet stardom before the 2010 Election.
But his political career was left in ruins last week after Conservative chairman Lord Feldman banned him from being a member of the party for life.
Days earlier, this newspaper revealed how Cabinet Minister Robert Halfon told No10 he feared that Clarke was linked to an attempt to blackmail him over an illicit love affair.
The young male Tory victim of the sex video has told this newspaper – in addition to Conservative Campaign Headquarters and the police – how he was duped into performing a sex act on Skype by an attractive blonde woman with a French name.
She first contacted him on Facebook, where they exchanged messages. She later made contact on Skype, and stripped on screen in front of him. It was at that point she persuaded him to perform the explicit act on camera. The victim now believes the woman never existed, but was a fake identity set up for the sting, which used a prerecorded video of the strip.
Shortly afterwards he was shocked to receive via Skype a demand for £2,500 – or the film would be put on his Facebook page.
The blackmailer said in broken English: ‘Here’s the list of the first person who will see your video if you continue you play hard...’ The name of his employer appeared on screen. The threatening message also gave details of his personal background to prove the blackmailer knew who he was.
The garbled message continued: ‘I begin has published the link to your video has everything your friends and family Yes or No.’
Shortly afterwards, he received another threatening Skype message stating: ‘Then you will see every- thing what I ask you first and I delete the video. You’ll me paid a sum of €3,500 and I delete your video.’ When he refused, the blackmailer carried out the threat and posted the video on the victim’s Facebook page.
It was soon spotted by the victim’s friends who contacted Tory HQ and were astonished to find they had already been tipped off – by Clarke. Clarke also contacted the victim to inform him. Clarke says he alerted Tory HQ and the victim because he had been targeted by the same sex video scam and wanted to help other activists targeted in the same way.
The Mail on Sunday has established that Clarke made a copy of the film and tried to leak it to the media. Clarke copied the film by holding a smartphone in his left hand in order to film the video as it was screened on another phone. He also made a screen grab of the video as it appeared on the victim’s Facebook page, before it was taken down.
When The Mail on Sunday first approached Clarke about the matter in September and asked if he was responsible for the sick blackmail attempt, he denied it. Asked at that time if he had copied the film and tried to leak it to the media, he said in a statement: ‘When Tory HQ failed to act, I discussed with a media outlet exposing the existence of the fake account to expose these unfair attacks on me and other activists and to warn other activists and
‘Send £2,500 or I’ll put the film on Facebook’
leading party figures.’ Last night he denied that his statement amounted to an admission to having tried to leak the video. In a statement from Barbados, where he is staying with his family, he said: ‘I stand by that [earlier] statement. I did not admit I tried to leak the video.’
The drugs ‘sting’ occurred after a party hosted by the Conservative Way Forward group on the Commons terrace on September 3. Among the guests mingling with Tory MPs was a prominent female Party official who had complained about Clarke.
Also present was Andre Walker, former chief of staff to Tory MP David Morris.
Walker is one of Clarke’s key Tory henchmen, and had helped Clarke make cruel threats to Elliott Johnson, the Tory activist who killed himself after complaining of bullying. A secret tape recording in a pub made by Johnson shows how Walker called him a ‘f****** d***head’ while Clarke threatened to ruin Johnson’s career.
Sources say the female was ‘plied with drink’ at the Commons reception before she and Walker went to a party at the Fulham home of another Tory aide, Will Hanley, who has a Commons pass issued by Conservative MP Nigel Adams.
According to one account, the woman was taken into a room and given cocaine, which she proceeded to snort. This newspaper has been told a camera had been placed on a table in an attempt to film the woman taking drugs.
There is no suggestion that Mr Hanley was aware of the incident.
Walker last night said ‘There is no such film’ – before putting the phone down. He refused to respond to further calls. The Mail on Sunday has been told Clarke was involved in a failed attempt to leak that incident to the media.
When this newspaper first put the drugs ‘sting’ to Clarke in September, he said he had repeatedly raised his concerns about ‘endemic drug use’ in the party.
He added: ‘Having said that, I have given no films of drug taking to any media outlets.’
Clarke said last night he stood by his earlier statement on the matter.