MP Patrick Spencer on trial at Southwark Crown Court over alleged sexual assaults

Patrick Spencer, the independent MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court on two counts of sexual assault. Prosecutor Polly Dyer told jurors that Spencer approached each woman from behind after a musical performance at the Groucho Club in Soho on 12 August 2023 and placed his hands on their breasts while they drank in the bar.

The first victim had turned her back after he insisted she accept a drink.

The second victim described the man as unsteady and slurring before he reached around her, prompting her to peel his hands away. Spencer has denied the charges. He told police he had hugged the women from behind believing they were part of his group and described his behaviour as overfriendly but without intent to upset anyone.

His defence maintains that he did not touch the women's breasts at all. Jurors viewed slowed-down CCTV footage of Spencer unsteady on his feet that night and of the moments he approached the women. He was asked to leave the club after complaints were made.

A police report was filed in August 2023. Spencer was not identified until midway through 2024 when a club worker matched CCTV with the sign-in book. The victims gave statements in early 2025, and Spencer was questioned by police in March 2025.

He was elected as a Conservative MP in July 2024. The party removed the whip in 2025 and he now sits as an independent. The trial is expected to last four to five days and continues.