‘Naughty Tory Elphicke turned into nasty bully’
A FORMER MP who chased a woman around his home chanting ‘I’m a naughty Tory’ turned into a ‘ nasty bully’ when a second sexual assault victim told him she was not ‘ up for anything’, a court heard.
Charlie Elphicke, 49, became ‘ really scary’ and searched the parliamentary worker’s bag after she rejected his advances during a lunch break, Southwark crown court was told.
The alleged victim, who was in her 20s, said the former Conservative MP for Dover later promised it would not happen again – and shook her hand.
Elphicke is accused of sexually assaulting the woman twice in 2016. He is also accused of attacking another woman at his home in 2007.
The woman said in a video interview with police: ‘I worked so hard to get in parliament. At lunch he said, “Do you have a boyfriend?” I said, “No”, and he said, “Why not?” I said, “I don’t want one, they are a waste of time” – and that’s when he put his hand over my leg. He went, “You know, I still really like you”. And I was like, “Yes, I know, but I’ve told you I don’t like you”.
‘And then he said, “Oh, why didn’t you say so earlier?” I was shocked. I said, “I didn’t. Like, how can you say I’m up for anything?” That was the turning point... that was when he turned nasty. There was fury in his eyes.’
His alleged victim said he told her, ‘Do you think I’m scary?’ – and then rifled through her bag.
She added: ‘ That angered me so much. You can insult me, you can bully me but don’t go through my things.
‘Later on, he said, “I behaved terribly and I’ve been incredibly inappropriate and it won’t happen again”.’
Former Tory whip and treasury minister Elphicke denies three charges of sexual assault. His 49-year-old wife, Natalie, who replaced him as MP for Dover, has been accompanying him to court every day. The trial continues.