Tory MP Patrick Spencer cleared of sexual assault charges
The politician, 38, who was elected as Conservative MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich in 2024, was seen on camera coming up behind two women and putting his arms around them at the private members’ club during a night out in August 2023.
Mr Spencer was accused of “cupping” the breasts of both women before “fist pumping” towards his friends nearby.
During his police interview, Mr Spencer apologised for grabbing hold of the two women – strangers to him – from behind and conceded it was “not acceptable in this day and age”.
But at trial at Southwark Crown Court, Mr Spencer insisted that he had not touched the breasts of one of the women, while contact with the other had been accidental and unintentional.
He said the gesture he made after the second woman had pushed him away was due to him being “mortified” that she had rejected his hug, rather than celebrating groping her.
A jury deliberated for just over seven hours before finding Spencer not guilty of two counts of sexual assault.The MP covered his face with shaking hands as the verdicts were delivered, and broke down in tears before embracing his wife Anna in court.
Mr Spencer is the son of Lord Michael Spencer, a billionaire donor to the Conservative Party.
The incidents at the Groucho Club happened on August 12 2023, before Mr Spencer had been elected to Parliament.He told the court he had drunk red wine with his father at lunch, beers at Twickenham while watching an England rugby match, and drank wine and negroni cocktails at the members’ club.
Mr Spencer said in evidence that he cannot recall the incidents at the centre of the trial, but he insisted that he would not have pestered the two women to have a drink with him and asked personal questions of one about her marriage.
The women told jurors they were left “shocked” after being grabbed by Mr Spencer, and one said she “froze” when she says her breasts were touched.In police interview, the MP called it a “moment of complete stupidity” but denied trying to “cop a feel”.
He called himself “overfriendly”, with a “gregarious” personality, and conceded to police: “Yeah, it looks terrible”.
But in evidence in court, Mr Spencer insisted he would never touch a woman’s breasts without consent and disputed whether the CCTV showed two sexual assaults.
He said he was “surprised” to be ejected from the members’ club, but assumed it was for “being loud, clottish, knocked over someone’s glass or I had bumped into somebody”.
Mr Spencer was identified by Groucho Club staff after the sexual assault allegations were first made, but a Metropolitan Police officer failed to pursue the investigation and did not even take statements from the women.
After a complaint that the investigation had stalled, the Met conducted a review in early 2025 and brought in a new detective, gathering statements and questioning the MP.
Met Police Commander Andy Day said: “We acknowledge that this investigation initially fell below the high standards we would expect, and we have apologised to the two women who made reports.
“Following concerns around the pace of the investigation, it was reviewed in March 2025 and following leadership by a new investigation team, charges were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service within three months.
“We conducted a further wider review to understand any steps which were missed in the initial investigation which is reflected the Met’s new victim-centred sexual offences policy.
“Our priority remains tackling violence against women and girls, so women in London can have full confidence in the Met to investigate reports thoroughly and quickly.”
The officer who failed to take witness statements was investigated by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards, but ultimately no disciplinary proceedings were brought.
Spencer was supported in court by his wife Anna, and he broke down in tears as she gave evidence in his defence, praising his parenting skills and described him as a “very nice man”.
He lost the Tory whip after being charged with sexual assault, and has sat in Parliament as an independent while awaiting his trial.
His suspension from the Conservative Party has been lifted following the not guilty verdicts.
A Conservative Party spokesman said:“Patrick Spencer MP has been found not guilty.
“His suspension from the Conservative Party has been lifted and the Conservative Whip has been restored.”
World Affairs Correspondent
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