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Former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke accused young parliamentary worker of being 'up for it' after groping her, court hears

Charlie Elphicke -  Rick Findler/PA
Charlie Elphicke - Rick Findler/PA

Former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke accused a young parliamentary worker of being “up for it” after he assaulted her in Westminster, a court heard.

The 49-year-old father of two is alleged to have groped the woman, who was in her early 20s, after they shared a bottle of champagne on the parliamentary estate in 2016.

After the incident, the pair met for lunch, but the MP allegedly “turned nasty” when she rejected his advances for a second time.

The witness said Elphicke told her "you know I still really like you", to which she replied that she was aware, but did not feel the same.

She said she was "absolutely shocked" when Elphicke appeared to be surprised by her latest snub.

Charlie Elphicke - Victoria Jones/PA
Charlie Elphicke - Victoria Jones/PA

Speaking at Southwark Crown Court, the witness alleged: "He said: 'Why were you so up for it in the beginning?'

"I said: 'Oh my god, how can you look at that situation and say, 'why were you up for it'? How can you say I'm up for anything. At what point did you get that from me?

“That was the turning point and that is when he turned nasty.

“There was fury in his eyes.

“He came up to me one day and said: 'Do you think I'm scary? Do you think I'm scary?

“It was clear bullying.”

She said that Mr Elphike “Flits in between personalities in a Jekyll and Hyde way.”

The witness said she agreed to go for a coffee with Elphicke to explain that he had "crossed the line", but in a text to her friend after the meeting she said: "Didn't go to plan.

"Now he wants to take me shopping tomorrow. F***.”

The jury was also shown a number of text messages from other parliamentary workers who warned of Elphike’s behaviour - calling him “mental”.

The court previously heard Elphicke said "I'm so naughty sometimes" after the alleged assault in Westminster, and later ran his hand up the woman's leg to her groin in a second incident that year.

In 2007, he was accused of chasing a woman in her early 30s around his London home after sexually assaulting her, chanting, "I'm a naughty Tory" and told her “We’re all at it.”

Mr Elphicke was Dover MP from 2010 until 2019 when he stood down and was succeeded by his wife, Natalie.

He denies three counts of sexual assault.