MP 'drunkenly groping breasts of two women' in London club, court hears

An MP "drunkenly groped the breasts of two women" in a London club, a court has heard.

Patrick Spencer, the MP for Central Suffolk & North Ipswich, is accused of coming up behind two women and putting his arms around them at London's Groucho club during a night out in August 2023.

Southwark Crown Court heard the two women did not know Mr Spencer but later identified him through his picture on the Parliament website.

Both women allege he placed his hands on their breasts without consent and left in shock after the incident, jurors heard.

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Spencer, 38, whose full name is Michael Patrick Spencer, was elected as a Conservative MP in 2024, while the alleged offences were still under investigation.

He was charged by the Metropolitan Police with two counts of sexual assault on May 13 last year.

Consequently, he had the whip withdrawn, becoming an independent MP.

He denies the accusations against him.

Prosecutor Polly Dyer told the court the incident occurred on August 12, 2023, after a musical performance at the private members' club.

The first alleged victim said a man unknown to her tried speaking to her and was "insistent she had a drink despite her saying no several times".

"She ended up sipping a drink he bought her," the prosecutor said.

The woman described the man as "animated" and thought he had been drinking alcohol.

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She moved away from him, the court heard, but they encountered one another shortly after when she went up to the bar.

Ms Dyer told the court: "The same male tried to talk to her again.

"She didn’t want to talk to him and she had her back to him.

"She will tell you the male put his hands under her arms and touched her breasts.

"It took her completely by surprise, and she immediately moved away from him."

Spencer is accused of sexually assaulting another woman shortly after, initially trying to talk to her and making her feel "uncomfortable".

Ms Dyer said: "She considered the male to be drunk. He was unsteady and slurring."

She agreed to take a sip of a drink the man had bought for her, to "appease him in the hope he would go away", the court heard.

The prosecutor said: “She will tell you at one point the male approached her from behind, reached his arms around her, and placed both his hands on top of her breasts.

"She was taken aback and peeled his hands from her.”

The two women told each other what had happened with the man, confronting him at the bar.

Mr Spencer then left the Groucho Club shortly afterwards with a friend.

The court heard a staff member at the club went back through CCTV from the night.

They were told they identified the moment when the suspect arrived, then matched it with Spencer's name in the sign-in book.

Ms Dyer pointed the finger at the Met Police, saying the investigating officer failed to realise in 2023 Spencer's name had been provided by the Groucho and "did not progress the investigation as expeditiously by police in March".

The MP said he had visited the private members' club with four friends, spending roughly two hours there before being asked to leave because he had "upset people who had asked for him to be removed".

"He described his behaviour as being overfriendly but without any intent to upset anyone," said Ms Dyer.

Mr Spencer told the police he had hugged a friend from behind and then done the same thing to the two women, thinking they were part of the same group.

"He described his behaviour as not appropriate in this day and age, specifically approaching someone from behind and putting his hands on someone he did not know.

"He said he had been drunk but not out of control.

"When told that the complainants alleged he had touched their breasts, he said he was appalled that that’s what happened and it was inappropriate behaviour.

"He said it was not his intent to touch them inappropriately," the prosecutor said.

Spencer denies two counts of sexual assault.

The trial continues.

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