Jury retires in MP's sexual assault trial

The jury in the trial of an MP accused of sexually assaulting two women has been sent out to consider its verdicts.

Patrick Spencer, 38, the Independent MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, has denied two counts of sexual assault following an alleged incident at London's Groucho Club in August 2023.

At Southwark Crown Court the judge, Mr Justice Neil Garnham, told the jury the case could provoke "strong" emotions and feelings of sympathy, but they must not judge the case on this basis.

He said "however understandable" those feelings were, it was essential they reached their verdicts based on the evidence and "assumptions of sexual assault" should not affect their judgement.

The four-day trial heard how Spencer had been on a night out at the Groucho Club in Soho with friends.

The alleged incidents happened after guests at the club had enjoyed a musical performance and were drinking in the bar.

The first woman said Spencer, who she did not know, started conversation with her, asking her about her marriage and insisting she had a drink he had bought.

She told the court she felt pressured into taking it and tried to move away from him, but he continued to talk to her.

She described him as a "bit of a pest" and later at the bar, he approached her again from behind, put his arms through hers and allegedly placed one hand on each of her breasts without her consent.

The second woman, who also did not know the MP, told the jury when he approached her in the club he seemed "inebriated" and he similarly "pestered" her to try one of drinks he had bought.

She told the jury he had similarly come up from behind her and "forcefully" cupped her breasts causing her to freeze.

During his defence, Spencer was questioned about a hand gesture he made toward friends after allegedly touching one of the women.

Prosecutor Polly Dyer suggested to Spencer the gesture could be seen as "like a fist pump in celebration", but the MP disagreed and said he had instead been "embarrassed" after the woman pushed him away.

Spencer told the court he had been "pissed" on the night of August 12, but insisted he did not deliberately touch either woman and there had been no sexual intention.

He argued that he did not touch one of the women at all.

His own wife, Anna, gave evidence and described Spencer as "kind, gentle and compassionate", and praised his parenting of their two children.

The trial then heard from several of his friends including Alice Arnold who had met him on the first day of university in 2007.

She told the jury they became friends "very quickly" and that he was a "fun, sociable, supportive character".

"He's the sort to person that lights up the room when he walks in," she said.

"The centre of attention, a fun guy to be around."

During nights out she said it was "normal" for Spencer to have his arms around her and she had never seen him make anyone feel uncomfortable.

"I have never seen him out of control from alcohol," she added.

Other statements were read to the jury by the defence including from Christopher Beardmore, a friend of Spencer who had been with him at the Groucho Club.

Beardmore said he did not remember anything significant in terms of Spencer's behaviour that night and the only main thing he could recollect was a separate incident involving another member of their group.

He added that Spencer had a "big personality" and he would always hug him, something and that was normal behaviour for Spencer.

"I've never known him to disrespect someone's personal space," he added.

In her closing statement, prosecutor Polly Dyer told the jury Spencer had "deliberately" touched the women's breasts.

"It is one thing to make a mistake and drunkenly and clumsily touch the breasts of one woman, but it is another to touch the breast of a second woman," she said.

In her own closing argument, Spencer's barrister Eleanor Laws KC told the jury that Spencer was a "kind man" who "knows how to behave".

"A drunken mistake is not a sexual assault," she said.

She told the jury that for there to be a sexual motive, Spencer would have had to of had a "complete change of character" as he had never done anything of such before in his life.

Jurors were sent out to consider their verdict at about 14:35 BST.

Spencer was elected a Conservative MP in July 2024 and the party removed the whip in 2025, which means he now sits an Independent MP.

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