Charlie Elphicke trial: Ex-MP guilty of sexual assaults #MeTooWestminster *Thread* https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-53515005

The @Conservatives first received complaints about Charlie Elphicke's behaviour in 2016. Elphicke wasn't suspended by the party however until November 2017.

Before a investigation could conclude in Dec 2018 @Conservatives reinstated him to vote in the ballot to sack @theresa_may Elphicke was still under police caution. Andrew Griffiths was also reinstated despite also sending hundreds of sexually explicit messages to two women.

Elphicke was suspended again when he was charged by police with three counts of sexual assault in July 2019 but the Dover Conservatives still fought to support him at the general election despite the fact that he was on bail at the time.

When he finally stood down in 2019, the now convicted sex offender was able to operate fully as an MP throughout voting in Parliament including voting on measures to determine whether his own case should be subject to the new independent complaints procedure.

Today Natalie Elphicke announced on Twitter her marriage is over. This must be an appalling time for her. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/30/former-tory-mp-charlie-elphicke-guilty-sexually-assaulting-two/

Despite his conviction as a sex offender, and the real possibility of being jailed, once released Elphicke will not prevented from standing for election as an MP and could also stand for election in prison, so long as his sentence is one year or less.

Now having read all of this imagine the stress and anguish the women who bravely came forward back in April 2016 to complain about Elphicke's behaviour have been through for the last 4 years. Because in all that time, our Parliament and our political system badly let them down.