Craig Mackinlay MP says he had 'father - son' relationship with aide accused of rape

A Conservative MP has told a court he had a "father and son" relationship with his chief of staff, who has been accused of raping a woman in his Commons office.

Craig Mackinlay, the MP for South Thanet, said Samuel Armstrong was his most hard-working and reliable aide and was “very driven in politics”.

Armstrong, 24, is accused of abusing his position to attack the woman, who is in her 20s, in the MP’s office after the pair had spent the evening drinking together in the Sports and Social Bar at the Houses of Parliament.

The woman has told Southwark Crown Court that she felt "like a hostage" as Armstrong raped her twice after she fell asleep on a sofa, telling her: "This is what you want."

She was captured on CCTV running through the corridors of Parliament in tears in the early hours of October 14 last year before she eventually found a cleaner whom she clung to begging for help, jurors were told.

Armstrong, from Danbury, Essex, denies two counts of rape, one of sexual assault and one of assault by penetration, claiming what happened took place with "full consent".

Mr Mackinlay, 51, the former deputy leader of Ukip, was elected in 2015, defeating then-UKIP leader Nigel Farage and comedian Al Murray in a tense race for the Kent seat.

Giving evidence on Thursday, he told the court he was not in Parliament on the night of the alleged attack.

He told the court that Armstrong had been recommended to him by several people in the party and, following a part-time stint as an intern, was employed as his “second in command” last April.

“He was sort of the top of the tree in the Westminster office and he had the title of chief of staff  which is a varied name meaning lots of things.

"You can't put your finger on the roles that had to be done, it was a mix and varied, and he was very dedicated at it.

“He works long hours and is perhaps more dedicated than other staff who perhaps see it as a job.

“He was in a different league in terms of his reliability, to me.”

Asked whether Armstrong "hero worshipped" him, the MP said: "I don't know about that.

“Given the age difference it became a bit father and son I suppose."

He told jurors they would go for a beer together or out for drinks and dinner with his wife Kati when they were working in his constituency office.

Mrs Mackinlay would tell Armstrong "she was going to find one of her nieces to marry because he was too nice a young man to be single," he said.

He said he never saw Armstrong act inappropriately with staff or others at work or in social gatherings and denied that he was prone to “basking in his status” or behaving in a “domineering” manner towards other Westminster staff.

Richard Holden, a former special advisor to the defence secretary, who has known Armstrong for several years, told the court he was socialising with Armstrong and the woman on the night of October 13 last year.

"They were friendly and chatting and sat quite close to each other," he said.

"They had been laughing and joking all evening in my company and had seemed very relaxed together."

He described Armstrong as a "charming and funny" person who is "introverted" rather than "socially awkward".

The trial, expected to last two weeks, continues.