Tory MP accused of sexually assaulting two women appears in court
A suspended Tory MP accused of sexually assaulting two women at a private club in London will face trial next year.
Patrick Spencer, MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, allegedly cupped the breasts of two women over their clothes at the Groucho club in Soho. It is claimed to have happened in August 2023, before he became an MP.
A complaint was made to the club and a report made to police, and Spencer, 37, was interviewed by officers earlier this year. Spencer, who denies two counts of sexual assault, appeared at Southwark Crown Court this morning.
Prosecutor Polly Dyer told a previous hearing that the first woman "felt Mr Spencer put his arms under her arms" before he "cupped her breasts over the clothing". The woman had interacted with him earlier in the evening while he "seemed to be intoxicated", the court heard.
Of the second woman, the prosecutor said "he moved behind her and also cupped her breasts with his hands over clothing". Ms Dyer added that neither woman consented to the alleged touching.
Lawyers acting for the MP have previously said he "categorically denies the charges" against him, adding: "He has co-operated fully with the police investigation from the moment he became aware of it and he will defend the allegations robustly in court." Spencer's trial date was set for July 13 next year.
Judge Tony Baumgartner said his home address would continue to be withheld from the court while he considers the application. The politician, who lives in Suffolk, was suspended from the Conservative Party and had the whip withdrawn after the charges were brought.
Spencer was first elected to Parliament last year with a majority of 4,290. He previously worked in finance for private equity firm IPGL, a company chaired by his father, former Conservative Party treasurer Lord Michael Spencer.
He later took a job at the Centre for Social Justice think thank and then became a senior adviser at the Department for Education. He made his maiden speech in the Commons in July last year during a debate on the MPs' code of conduct relating to second jobs, during which he said the "most important thing to the people across my constituency" was "restoring a sense of moral probity and public spiritedness to our political system".
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