MP Charlie Elphicke 'not on trial for being terrible husband'

Charlie Elphicke (pictured outside court with his wife Natalie Elphicke) might be guilty of being a bad husband and for being 'foolish', but it does not mean he sexually assaulted two women, his lawyer told a court today

'Naughty Tory' Charlie Elphicke might be guilty of being a bad husband and for being 'foolish', but it does not mean he sexually assaulted two women, his lawyer told a court today.

The former Dover MP, whose wife Natalie Elphicke succeeded him, denies three counts of sexual assault, on women in their early 30s and early 20s - one of which is alleged to have taken place while he was a Member of Parliament.

But the 49-year-old father-of-two acknowledged he had cheated three times with another woman while married to Ms Elphicke, who was elected to his former seat in 2019 after he stepped down.

He also said he propositioned one of the complainants in the case during the couple's marriage, the court heard.

However His defence counsel, Ian Winter QC, told jurors in the trial at Southwark Crown Court that they may decide his client had behaved 'foolishly', but said that did not make him a criminal.

Mr Winter quoted Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night as he told jurors in his closing speech: ‘Fools are as Shakespeare said in Twelfth Night like husbands as pilchards are to herrings; the husband’s the bigger fool.

‘You might think that at the heart of this case lies a very ancient foolishness of husbands.

'If Mr Elphicke was on trial here for behaving foolishly you might find it easy to convict.

'If Mr Elphicke was on trial for cheating on his wife, treating her badly, you might find it easy to convict.'

He added: 'You may despise that level of low morality - but you put that to one side.

'He is on trial for sexually assaulting two women, that is the allegation.'

Elphicke denies groping the first complainant, a woman he invited to have a drink with him at his London home in 2007, while his wife was away for the first time since the birth of their young son.

Elphicke denies groping the first complainant, a woman he invited to have a drink with him at his London home (pictured) in 2007, while his wife was away for the first time since the birth of their young son

The complainant described Elphicke kissing her, grabbing her breast, and then chasing her around the house chanting, 'I'm a naughty Tory'.

Elphicke told the court he kissed the woman 'under a misapprehension' after she became 'tactile' towards him, but said while she initially responded 'positively' she later said she did not want to kiss him so he stopped.

He denies sexually assaulting her and chasing her around his house.

The second complainant, a young parliamentary worker, said Elphicke groped her breast following a drink in Westminster in April 2016.

The following month, Elphicke was said to have been in the company of the woman again when he slid his hand up her thigh towards her groin.

Both women said they were not attracted to Elphicke, who said he was not attracted to the woman in her 30s.

But he told jurors he 'lost my head' over the parliamentary worker with whom he had become 'besotted' and wanted a sexual relationship with.

The court heard Elphicke ‘gambled’ on sexual assault charges against him being dropped in order to hide his feelings for the parliamentary worker.

Southwark Crown Court (pictured) heard Elphicke ‘gambled’ on sexual assault charges against him being dropped in order to hide his feelings for the parliamentary worker

Mr Winter argued that the married father-of-two lied to police about falling for her because he had already admitted having sex with another woman and kissing a third.

The lawyer said yet another indiscretion would have been ‘curtains’ for the couple’s marriage if Ms Elphicke had found out.

The former Dover MP initially downplayed his attraction towards the staffer when questioned by officers about her after they received complaints about his alleged sexual misconduct.

Mr Winter said the former government whip is still to this day struggling to salvage his relationship after the ‘hurt’ caused his spouse.

Jurors already heard Elphicke told police he had an affair with another woman, not a complainant in this case, between 2015 and 2017.

None of the three women can be named for legal reasons.

In her closing speech on Thursday, prosecutor Eloise Marshall QC said: 'Charlie Elphicke is an accomplished liar, and he assaulted these women in exactly the way they described.

'He is guilty of all three counts on this indictment, and you can be sure of that.'

The trial continues.