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Transgender former Tory MP demanded £350,000 from his wife
Transgender former Tory MP demanded £350,000 from his wife

Telegraph

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • Telegraph

Transgender former Tory MP demanded £350,000 from his wife

A transgender former Conservative MP convicted of harassing his ex-wife demanded she pay him £350,000. Katie Wallis, 41, who was known as Jamie before becoming Britain's first trans MP in 2022, demanded the payment from Rebecca Lovell in a phone call he made from an unknown number. On Monday, Wallis was handed a 12-month community order and fined £1,264 having admitted harassing Ms Lovell between February and March this year. During an unwanted call made on Feb 25, the former Conservative MP told his ex-wife she had to transfer £350,000 into his bank account in 15 minutes. Wallis sent separate messages accusing Ms Lovell of being 'mean', calling her a 'c---' and a 'f------ b----' and accusing her of 'c--k hunting'. Calling his ex-wife a 'prejudiced f-----', Wallis went on to hope that she would 'never have a happy moment again'. In a victim impact statement, Ms Lovell said: 'This is the hardest thing I have written, for so long I have had to fight against the tide of Jamie's behaviour, publicly and privately. 'The woman I used to be is destroyed. I will never understand what I have done to deserve the hurt I have endured.' 'Utterly devastating' She went on to describe her final six months living with Wallis as 'utterly devastating', adding she was living her life 'constantly in fight or flight'. She went on to install CCTV for fear of Wallis turning up at her home. Narita Bahra KC, appearing for the defence at Cardiff Magistrates' Court, said Wallis now used female pronouns and said Jamie was her 'dead name'. Expressing her 'disappointment' that the case had gone to court, Ms Bahra said Wallis was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as well as depressive and adjustment disorders. Wallis served as an MP between 2019 and 2024 and came out as Britain's first transgender MP in 2022, recalling a sense of gender dysphoria 'since I was a very young child'. The MP confirmed he had decided not to seek re-election in the Bridgend constituency at the end of 2023, although he briefly considered running for a different seat in the Commons. A previous hearing was told Wallis and Ms Lovell had been in a relationship for more than 15 years before their separation in 2020. The court had also been told Wallis had tried to take his own life twice and been sectioned twice in recent months, as well as experiencing a 'psychotic breakdown' and talking about crisps during a police interview. District Judge Rhys Williams said Wallis's 12-month community order was to be carried out over 12 days. Wallis had previously been fined £2,500 and disqualified from driving for six months after crashing his car and fleeing the scene in Nov 2021.

Former Conservative MP given community order for harassing ex-wife
Former Conservative MP given community order for harassing ex-wife

The Independent

time2 days ago

  • The Independent

Former Conservative MP given community order for harassing ex-wife

A former Conservative MP has been given a community order for harassing her ex-wife. Katie Wallis, 41, of Butetown, Cardiff, was the MP for Bridgend in South Wales between 2019 and 2024. On Monday, Wallis was sentenced at Cardiff Magistrates' Court for harassing her ex-wife Rebecca Wallis, who is now known as Rebecca Lovell. The former MP sent messages demanding to know about Ms Lovell's new partner and calling her a 'c***' and a 'f****** bitch', among other derogatory terms, the court heard. On 25 February, Wallis used an unknown number to demand that £350,000 be put into her bank account within 15 minutes. In a separate message, Wallis said she hoped her ex-wife and father 'never have a happy moment again'. In total, the former MP sent four messages and left one voice note. The couple split in 2020, with the divorce finalised in 2024. In a victim impact statement, which was read to the court, Ms Lovell said: 'The woman I used to be is destroyed. I will never understand what I have done to deserve the hurt I have endured.' Ms Lovell described the last six months as 'utterly devastating' and said she was living her life as an 'overstimulated adult constantly in fight or flight'. She said she feared Wallis turning up at her home, leading her to have CCTV installed. Wallis, who was wearing a black dress, looked down as the statement was read to the court. Narita Bahra KC, appearing for the defence, argued it was 'disappointing' the case had come to court, criticising South Wales Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for not dealing with the issue outside the court. Ms Bahra argued it was 'unequivocal' that Wallis had been suffering from mental health difficulties at the time of the offending, partly brought on by her transitioning. Wallis became the first openly transgender MP in the House of Commons in 2022. Ms Bahra also said Wallis was suffering from PTSD, a depressive disorder and an adjustment disorder. She said Wallis was remorseful and did not seek to excuse her actions. In Wallis's final message to Ms Lovell she asked for help, claimed she was experiencing pain in her temples and said she wanted her father to pay for someone to hold her hand. Wallis was then found by police and sectioned under the Mental Health Act before being arrested and later charged. District Judge Rhys Williams handed Wallis a 12-month community order, to be carried out over 12 days, and a fine worth £1,264. He also imposed a restraining order for 12 months to prevent Wallis from contacting Ms Lovell. Wallis, who pleaded guilty to leaving the messages at a hearing in June, initially denied the charges, but changed her plea when allegations of having driven by her ex-wife's home were removed from the charge.

BREAKING NEWS First trans MP banned from contacting ex-wife over 'distressing' WhatsApp abuse during transition and divorce
BREAKING NEWS First trans MP banned from contacting ex-wife over 'distressing' WhatsApp abuse during transition and divorce

Daily Mail​

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • Daily Mail​

BREAKING NEWS First trans MP banned from contacting ex-wife over 'distressing' WhatsApp abuse during transition and divorce

Britain's first transgender MP harassed her ex-wife and quizzed her about her sex life, a court heard today. Former Conservative MP Dr Jamie Wallis, who now uses the name Katie Wallis, had reached 'breaking point' while navigating a 'high-risk stage' of the transitioning process, her lawyer said. Wallis, now 41, sent four 'distressing' WhatsApp messages to her ex-wife Rebecca Lovell, Cardiff Magistrates Court heard today. In them the former Bridgend MP - now living on benefits - called her a 'bitch' a 'c***' and accusing her of being mean and going out 'c***-hunting'. Wallis also sent messages demanding £350,000 within 15 minutes and calling Ms Lovell and her father 'prejudiced'. Today she was given a community order and issued with a restraining order banning her from contacting Ms Lovell. Father-of-two Wallis appeared at court today dressed in a black dress, black patent shoes and carrying a black handbag. She told the court: 'My preferred name is Katie Wallis but my legal name is Jamie Wallis.' Wallis previously admitted harassment without violence against her ex-wife after allegations of driving by her home were removed from the charge. The couple were together for 15 years but separated in 2020 and their divorce was finalised last year. Prosecutor Emily Jermin read messages sent between February 15 and March 21 including one that said Wallis was hallucinating. The court heard Wallis had made two suicide attempts while going through the transition process. Ms Jermin said: 'The defendant was detained under the Mental Health Act and taken to Llandough hospital where she was arrested and taken to Cardiff Bay police station.' The court heard the former Conservative politician replied 'F*** off' to most of the questioning by officers. In her victim personal statement Wallis's ex-wife, a teacher, said she couldn't remember a day when she hadn't cried. 'The last 10 years have destroyed me,' she said. Ms Lovell said she was living her life as an 'overstimulated adult constantly in fight or flight'. 'I fear she may harm herself or me if I don't do what she asks,' she added. 'It's hard to explain the insidious emotional abuse. I've been subject to hundreds of these behaviours. 'I lay in bed at night wondering if the threats of suicide are real or fabricated. 'I suffer profound grief every day. 'I grieve the life I could have had as well as the relationships I've lost and the moments I missed. 'I'm too exhausted to put on a front any more.' Ms Lovell said she had installed CCTV at her home in the Vale of Glamorgan to make herself 'feel more safe'. The court previously heard Wallis had taken a 'ton of anti-depressants' at the time of the offences and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Narita Bahra KC, defending, asked for Wallis to be given a conditional discharge on the grounds that she didn't need 'supplemental complications' in the transitioning process. She said: 'Dr Wallis is remorseful and does not seek to excuse what occurred. 'She accepts she acted in a manner that was wrong and does not seek to minimise the effect of her actions. 'It is important the court recognises the emotional state Dr Wallis was in at the time. 'She was going through the passing phase of gender transition. 'She was suffering from mood swings, panic attacks, social isolation and a cognitive overload. 'The content of the messages are key in demonstrating that Dr Wallis, like many other transitioning to a woman, was at a high risk of an emotional breakdown.' Wallis, who now lives on benefits, was fined £500, given a 12-month community order and ordered to take part in a 12-day rehabilitation activity. District Judge Rhys Williams said Wallis had harassed his wife by sending her 'distressing and unwanted' messages and voice notes. He said: 'You used unpleasant terms, swore at her repeatedly and made a demand for a significant amount of money. 'Initially you started by saying you were sorry but then posted some questions about your ex wife's boyfriend.' The judge said a psychiatric report on Wallis at the time of the offences concluded she was suffering from an adjustment disorder. Wallis, of Butetown, Cardiff, was given a restraining order preventing her from having any contact with her ex-wife for 12 months. As Jamie Wallis, he was elected to the Commons in 2019, becoming the first Tory to win the South Wales seat of Bridgend since the 1980s. Wallis became the first MP in the UK to come out as transgender three years later. In March 2022, Wallis revealed he had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria having 'felt this way since I was a very young child' and that he wanted to transition to be a woman. Wallis also said he had been raped and blackmailed, and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. In response, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised Wallis's bravery, and politicians from across the political spectrum publicly expressed their support. Wallis did not stand for re-election last year, putting the decision down to boundary changes – and insisting it 'isn't a case of being chased out locally'.

Ex-Tory MP given community order and fine for harassing ex-wife
Ex-Tory MP given community order and fine for harassing ex-wife

BBC News

time2 days ago

  • BBC News

Ex-Tory MP given community order and fine for harassing ex-wife

A former Conservative MP has been given a community order and fine for harassing her ex-wife. Jamie Wallis, who is now known as Katie Wallis and uses female pronouns, represented Bridgend from 2019 to an earlier hearing, the 41-year-old from Butetown in Cardiff denied harassing Rebecca Wallis, now known as Rebecca Lovell, between 14 February and 21 was sentenced to a 12-month community order involving 12 days of rehabilitation activity and fined £500 plus £650 costs and a £114 surcharge. A restraining order was also imposed for 12 months to prevent contact with Rebecca former MP made unwanted phone calls, sent unwanted messages and a voice Magistrates Court heard that the messages contained abusive language while accusing Rebecca Lovell of being "mean" and seeking to find out details about her new message complained about access to Wallis's family, another demanded £350,000 within 15 minutes and wished to ensure that Wallis's former wife and others "never have a happy moment again".Wallis, who was the first MP to openly begin the process of gender transitioning, previously told the court: "My name is Katie Wallis, but my legal name is Jamie Wallis". District Judge Rhys Williams asked Wallis's barrister how he should address the defendant. Defending, Narita Bahra KC told the court that Wallis identifies as she, "her dead name is Jamie. Her current name is Katie". Wallis and the victim were in a relationship for more than 15 years and separated in 2020, with their divorce finalised in a personal impact statement, Rebecca Lovell said the messages left her "drowning in a chaos that was not of my own making" and concerned that Wallis would turn up at her house. She said she was left wondering if threats of suicide were real. "I torture myself wondering if I deserve the vile slurs," she said. She added, "I can't remember a day I haven't cried. The woman I used to be has been destroyed." Narita Bahra KC told the court that her client was "having profound and emotional difficulties in completing the passing stage" of transitioning to become a woman, but accepts that the behaviour was "wrong". Ms Bahra said that Wallis was at a "crucial turning point" in the transitioning process and in "profound mental crisis" when the messages were sent and that there was acceptance of wrongdoing and apology in the final after the final message was sent, Wallis was found by police and sectioned under the mental health act before being arrested and later Bahra told the court it was "really disappointing that South Wales Police and the Crown Prosecution Service have shown no compassion" by pursuing a added it was "disillusioning and disappointing that South Wales Police and the CPS demonstrated a lack of understanding" to what she said were the "unique stresses" of transitioning.

Suffolk MP Patrick Spencer pleads not guilty to sexual assault
Suffolk MP Patrick Spencer pleads not guilty to sexual assault

BBC News

time16-06-2025

  • Politics
  • BBC News

Suffolk MP Patrick Spencer pleads not guilty to sexual assault

An MP has pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault that allegedly took place at London's Groucho Suffolk and North Ipswich MP Patrick Spencer is accused of two attacks on two separate women in August 2023 - before he was 37-year-old, who became a Conservative MP at the 2024 general election, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.

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