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Image source, PA Media
Patrick Spencer, at an earlier court hearing, is on trial accused of two counts of sexual assault
ByVikki Irwinat Southwark Crown Court and Alice CunninghamSuffolk
A woman said she never gave an MP consent to touch her breasts at London's Groucho Club and described him as a "bit of a pest".
Patrick Spencer, MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, is accused of coming up behind two different women and putting his arms around them before touching their breasts on a night out in August 2023.
One of the victims gave evidence during his trial at Southwark Crown Court and said he had insisted she have a drink despite her saying no before he touched her.
Spencer, 38, who lives in Suffolk and was elected as an MP in July 2024, denies two counts of sexual assault.
Giving evidence behind a screen, the woman described Spencer's initial behaviour as "animated and friendly" before he began to ask her about being married.
"I felt I wanted to move away, he was invading my personal space," she told the court.
"I said I was married and my husband is here.
"I felt he was getting too familiar asking me personal questions," she added.
CCTV video played in court showed Spencer at the Groucho Club the night he allegedly sexually assaulted the women
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As she started to move away, she said Spencer had followed her and stepped into an alcove to continue the conversation, despite her explaining she wanted to find her husband.
She told the court Spencer had four cocktails on the bar and was "very insistent" she also had one.
She told jurors she did not know who the man was, and described him as "being a bit of a pest".
"I felt I could not walk away unless I took a sip of the drink," she said.
She then went to find her husband and said the sexual assault happened later when she returned to the bar.
Image source, PA Media
Spencer, the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, has denied two counts of sexual assault
The court heard how Spencer had come up behind her, put his arms through hers and placed one hand on each of her breasts.
"I was shocked, I carried on walking, I wanted to get away," she said.
When asked by prosecutor Polly Dyer if she had consented to that, she responded: "Not at all."
As well as this she initially did not want to tell her husband what had happened over fear of how he would react.
Another woman shortly came into the room and said the same thing had happened to her.
Spencer was then confronted about his behaviour and asked to leave the club.
He was identified as the man in the CCTV the following year.
Image source, Brian Farmer/BBC
The trial is being held at Southwark Crown Court
The jury was shown the CCTV footage of the moment of the incident.
Spencer's defence counsel, Eleanor Laws, questioned the woman over the speed at which Spencer touched her.
When the woman was asked by Laws if she agreed that Spencer had "barely" touched her, she said: "No, because I pushed away from him."
The woman explained she would not have known what happened "unless I had been touched".
On Monday, the court heard how Spencer had told police afterwards that his behaviour was "not appropriate for this day and age".
The prosecutor said his defence is that he did not touch either woman.
The trial continues.
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