The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Deputy speaker hits out over ‘conspiracy’
DEPUTY SPEAKER Nigel Evan s told police a former Westmin ster worker who accused him of a sexual assault was “Machiavellian ” an d at the “cen tre of the web” of a plot again st him.
The MP suggested his alleged victim had “choreographed even ts” as he was the common lin k between four other complain an ts in the case.
Evan s, the MP for Ribble Valley in Lan cashire, den ies an y wron gdoin g an d claims a “con spiracy” is at work in volvin g an “old pals act”.
He is accused of sexually assaultin g seven men an d yesterday his trial at Preston Crown Court heard his replies to question s by detectives after he was arrested in May last year.
Evan s, 56, told officers the allegation of rape by on e man had been made because of the “in credibly close” relation ship between him an d the bisexual coaccuser whom he described as “Machiavellian an d man ipulative”.
The MP con tin ued: “In credibly mischievous. In credible. They must have talked about this stuff.”
The rape complain an t, then aged 22, alleges Evan s assaulted him after a din n er party at the MP’s home in the village of Pen dleton , Lan cashire, in March last year.
But Evan s described the complain an t as a “strappin g lad” who was a “willin g participan t” as the sex was con sen sual.
The officer question ed Evan s as to why the complain an t left Evan s’ home the n ext morn in g without tellin g him.
“Buyers regret,” the MP said. “He was sorry we had sex. I accept that.” The officer asked Evan s if he had drun k so much alcohol at the din n er party that his judgemen t on whether the complain an t con sen ted was affected. “Certain ly n ot,” the MP replied. Evan s is alleged to have sexually assaulted seven youn g men on various dates between 2002 an d last year by usin g his “powerful” political in fluen ce to take advan tage of them, often while drun k.
He den ies on e rape, two in decen t assaults an d six sexual assaults.
Non e of the alleged complain an ts can be iden tified for legal reason s.
The officer put it to Evan s that the alleged lin k to the bisexual man did n ot fit in with all the offen ces he is accused of as two victims did n ot kn ow that complain an t.
But the MP said the former Westmin ster worker was the “backdrop to which this whole thin g has been set up. There’s n o two ways about it”.
The MP was pressed again by the detectives — all the complain an ts were males, all of a similar age an d all the alleged in ciden ts took place when Evan s was said to be un der the in fluen ce of alcohol.
It was put to him the first alleged offen ce, an in decen t assault by sexual touchin g in 2003, to the last alleged offen ce, the rape an d sexual assault in 2013, showed a “build up in offen din g through to full rape”. Evan s replied: “No.” He told officers he was “staggered” an d “mystified” by the allegation s an d den ies all charges.
The case con tin ues. The adjourn ed un til this morn in g.
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