London: A Conservative Party lawmaker in
Britain was detained after he was accused of sex assault by a
woman who fled his flat with his House of Commons security
pass and his mobile phone, a news report said on Sunday.
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According to The Sunday Times, 46-year-old Andrew
Bridgen, a former Royal Marines officer who entered parliament
at last year's general election, was arrested an hour after
the women rang up police and questioned at a central London
police station for 12 hours before being released on bail.
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Police are believed to have retrieved the MP's mobile
phone, the Commons security pass and correspondence from the
woman after she rang them at about 1 am on Thursday
complaining that that the millionaire Tory MP had groped her
and tried to put his hand up her skirt.
The MP, who is married and has two children, became
wealthy from his family's fruit and vegetable business in
Leicestershire, the report said.
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According to the report, the woman did not respond to
inquiries from the newspaper and Bridgen refused to comment,
referring the newspaper to a statement he had issued on Friday
in which he declared: "The allegations made against me are
wholly false and without foundation. Fortunately, they are
also demonstrably and provably false."
Bridgen hit the headlines earlier this year when he
declared war on Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor and Yvette
Cooper, the shadow home secretary, over their expenses claims
for their children's travel.
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PTI
First Published: Sunday, June 12, 2011, 22:01