VICTIM’S FEAR OVER POLICE PROBE INTO SEX PEST MP
As shamed Nationalist FINALLY breaks cover, SNP party worker reveals why he refused to help criminal investigation
THE victim of disgraced MP Patrick Grady has revealed he refused to co-operate with the police probe over fears of a backlash in his SNP job.
the Metropolitan Police opted not to proceed with its investigation into the former SnP chief whip after the party worker who made the original claims refused to take part.
But he said the Met’s decision does not exonerate the 42-yearold MP, who was yesterday pictured for the first time since his apology to Parliament. the victim said he did not want the probe because he feared the impact it would have on his ‘already intolerable working environment’.
the SnP refused to say whether Glasgow north MP Mr Grady would be allowed to return to the party, saying it was up to him to confirm his intentions.
Mr Grady was seen yesterday returning to his Glasgow home
following a shopping trip, rather than attending business in the House of Commons.
Mr Grady refused to respond to requests for comment on whether he would look to resume his party membership and the whip.
He has not spoken or voted in Parliament since making a humiliating apology for his actions when he was found to have significantly breached the House of Commons sexual misconduct policy on June 14.
Police launched an investigation after receiving a report by a ‘third party’, at which point the SNP announced Mr Grady was ‘stepping away from his party membership’.
But the Met confirmed at the weekend that its investigation was not proceeding.
The SNP member of staff who had his complaint of harassment upheld by the Westminster authorities said yesterday: ‘I decided for it not to be
‘SNP absolved any responsibility’
investigated [by police] for fear it would impact on an already intolerable working environment.’
He said he had not been intending to comment on the police probe being dropped but decided he did not want to allow anyone to give the impression Mr Grady had been exonerated.
The SNP worker, who is based at Westminster, said: ‘As things stand, I don’t have to give Patrick any service as an MP.
‘But if he is allowed back in at any moment that he decides, I’m not going to get fair warning of that – he could just turn up as an SNP MP if I go back to work.
‘It is concerning because it is all in his hands now if he wants to come back. The SNP seem to have absolved any responsibility now, which, as an employer, is concerning.
‘It wasn’t me that even reported this to police. I don’t know who did. I never wanted to take this route but now that it has, he suspended his own membership.’
He added: ‘What they are now saying seems to be if he wants to come back in he will get back in, which sends out the wrong message it is up to the sexual harasser if he wants to be part of the group or not, and there is no consideration of what I want.’
A spokesman for the Met said: ‘On Wednesday, June 22, police received a third party allegation of sexual assault that is said to have taken place in October 2016 at a commercial premises in Folgate Street, E1.
‘Officers carried out inquiries including speaking to the alleged victim. There will be no further police action at this time.’
When asked yesterday if Mr Grady intends to resume his SNP membership and whether he would be allowed the party whip if he did so, an SNP source said: ‘You’d need to contact Patrick Grady about his future intentions, as he currently sits as an independent MP.’ Mr Grady’s victim yesterday condemned the party for taking a softer approach than the Conservatives, who withdrew the whip from MP Chris Pincher last week after he was accused of drunkenly groping two men at a private club in London.
The SNP worker said: ‘There are a lot of parallels there. It is strikquick, ingly similar. The SNP have been very quiet on the Pincher stuff – in normal times they would have been calling for his resignation.
‘The Conservatives have put the SNP to shame with how they have handled Pincher. If I worked for the Conservatives I would be more protected as a staff member than for the SNP. They have taken effective action, kicked him out of his job, removed the whip, and it is now up to the independent complaints and grievance scheme to investigate.’
He added: ‘What the SNP has done with Patrick is totally different in that he kept the whip for the entire time, they kept him in the position of power and then isolated the victim and removed me from the equation.’
Mr Grady has not been seen in Parliament since he issued an apology on June 14 for making an ‘inappropriate physical advance’ to the SNP staff member, who was 19 at the time.
He was seen leaving his £275,000 three-storey house in Sighthill, Glasgow, on foot at lunchtime. He returned an hour later carrying a bag of shopping. He refused to speak when approached.
Scottish Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: ‘Just because the police have said they will not be conducting a criminal investigation into Patrick Grady does not mean that what he did was OK.
‘Ian Blackford has been exposed as a moral vacuum, more concerned with protecting his friends than ensuring a young staff member got justice.’
She said the SNP should refuse to restore the party whip to Mr Grady and remove Mr Blackford as Westminster party leader.
Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said: ‘The police’s decision not to proceed does not do anything to alter the fact he was guilty of sexual harassment, and censured.
‘The SNP, which said it had “zero tolerance” of such behaviour, then disgracefully conspired to protect him at the expense of his victim, cannot now allow him quietly to crawl back into the fold.’
‘Sends out the wrong message’