A British MP from the ruling Conservative Party, arrested on suspicion of rape and sexual assault, has been released on bail, police announced on Wednesday (May 18th).
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The police announced on Tuesday the arrest of this man in his fifties suspected in particular of sexual assault, rape, "
abuse of a position of trust
" and misconduct in the exercise of a public function.
The charges, reported to police in January 2020, relate to a period from 2002 to 2009 in London.
The suspect, whose identity has not been made public, "
was taken into custody and has since been released on bail pending further investigation until a date in mid-June
“, said the police.
'Appalling accusations'
The Conservative Party has asked the MP not to come to Parliament while the investigation is ongoing but he has not been suspended.
Asked about the case on SkyNews on Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she was "
very very concerned
".
"
The police are currently working on this case but it is worrying that we have these appalling charges, again, about a parliamentarian
," she said.
The case comes a month after a Tory MP, Imran Ahmad Khan, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy.
Disputing the charges against him, he announced that he intended to appeal.
Another Tory MP, Neil Parish, resigned late last month after he admitted watching porn on his mobile phone in Parliament.
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The Sunday Times reported last month that 56 MPs, out of the 650 in the House of Commons, had been reported to an office responsible for registering complaints including "
misconduct of a sexual nature
", a term which can cover sexual harassment, voyeurism or sexual assault.
This office was set up following the “MeToo” movement.
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