Jury is shown CCTV of Tory MP Patrick Spencer in Groucho club bar as he is accused of 'groping breasts of two women'

By OLIVIA DAY, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA Published: 12:19, 15 July 2026 | Updated: 12:26, 15 July 2026 CCTV footage of a Tory MP accused of groping the breasts of two women at a London club has been shown to jurors hearing his sexual assault trial. Patrick Spencer, the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, is accused of grabbing the women from behind during a night out at the Groucho club in August 2023. Spencer, 38, who lost the Conservative whip in Parliament after being charged with two counts of sexual assault, denies the allegations. Jurors at Southwark Crown Court were shown CCTV footage of the politician mingling at the exclusive members' club following the alleged assaults.  The MP is seen sitting on a sofa with a few other people before he uses both hands to push the table backwards.  He then appears to use the table for balance as he rises from the sofa and walks past the bar before disappearing from view. Spencer told jurors that on the day of the alleged incidents he had lunch with his father, billionaire Conservative donor Lord Michael Spencer, before watching England play Wales at rugby at Twickenham. Defence barrister Eleanor Laws KC asked Spencer whether he had deliberately placed his hands on either woman or intended to sexually assault anyone. In footage shown to the jury, Spencer is seen sitting on a sofa with a few other people before he uses both hands to push the table backwards by a few inches (pictured) Spencer then appears to use the table for balance as he rises from the sofa (pictured) Spencer, the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, arrives at Southwark Crown Court 'No,' he replied to both questions. Spencer told jurors he drank wine at lunch before having beers at the rugby and described himself as 'pissed'. But he insisted he was still in control when he arrived at the Groucho club. 'When I walked into the Groucho, I was fine, in high spirits, merry, but not out of control,' he said. Spencer told the court he took a rickshaw home after being ejected from the club but was not told why he had been asked to leave. 'It was bizarre, surprising,' he said. 'I assumed I was being loud, loutish, knocked over someone's glass or had bumped into somebody. That's what I quickly assumed.' The court heard Spencer returned to the club the following week for his aunt's 70th birthday celebration and collected a jacket he had left behind on the night.  The jury heard Spencer called his actions a 'moment of complete stupidity' during a police interview after being confronted with CCTV of the alleged incidents.  He told the interviewing officer that he had not intentionally touched the women's breasts and denied trying to 'cop a feel'. Spencer said: 'I don't think it's appropriate to approach someone from behind, I don't think it's appropriate to put my hands on someone unless you have a very close relationship with them. I don't think it's acceptable in this day and age.' The MP described himself as 'overfriendly' with a 'gregarious' personality, and conceded to police that his actions 'look leery'. 'Yeah, it looks terrible,' he told the interviewing officer.  'I can only imagine how upsetting it clearly was and is,' he said, referring to the evidence the women gave police. 'It's a moment of complete stupidity on my behalf.' He added: 'I'm profoundly sorry to the two women and to anyone involved in this.' One of the alleged victims answered questions from behind a blue screen shielding her from Spencer and the press. Spencer is seen arriving at court after being charged with two counts of sexual assault over alleged incidents at London's Groucho club in August 2023 She told jurors she had been drinking gin and tonics with her husband when Spencer, whom she did not know, struck up a conversation.  'He started talking to me, general chit-chat,' she said. The woman told the court the conversation became uncomfortable when Spencer asked whether she was married. 'He was quite animated and up until that point friendly, but then when he started asking me if I was married it became slightly intense and I felt like he was slightly invading my personal space,' she said. The court heard Spencer had bought four cocktails and urged her to take one. 'I didn't want to. I was a bit nervous because you read things about not taking drinks off strangers,' she told the jury.  The woman said she eventually took a sip because Spencer was so insistent.  After telling him her husband was at the club, she left to find him. But she claimed Spencer followed her into a corridor and attempted to continue the conversation. About 20 minutes later, she returned to the bar. The Groucho club (pictured) is an exclusive members' club in Soho 'I went to leave the bar and that's when he came up behind me and he put his arms through my arms and touched my breasts,' she said. 'I carried on walking, I was shocked. I just carried on walking and wanted to get away.' Asked by prosecutor Polly Dyer whether she had consented to the contact, the woman replied: 'Not at all.' The complainant said she later told a friend what had happened before another woman claimed the same thing had happened to her. Under cross-examination, defence barrister Eleanor Laws KC suggested Spencer was behaving as though he had been drinking. The woman disagreed that he appeared drunk, although she accepted he was 'animated' and 'outgoing'. After jurors were shown a 20-minute clip of the alleged incidents, Ms Laws suggested Spencer had made only minimal contact with her. 'Do you agree he barely touched you?' she asked. 'No, I pushed away from him, he did touch me,' the woman replied. When Ms Laws suggested Spencer had not touched her breasts, the complainant responded: 'He did.' Asked how long the contact lasted, she said: 'For a millisecond, because I moved away as soon as I felt his touch.' Later, Ms Laws suggested the CCTV did not show Spencer touching her at all. The woman replied: 'No I don't agree, he did touch me and you can see I pull away.' The trial before Mr Justice Garnham continues.  Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.