A Conservative MP today said he had been the victim of a “vindictive” lie after a rape investigation was dropped due to lack of evidence.
Mark Pritchard called for a review of the law on anonymity following the case, saying that his accuser could not be identified while he had been subjected to the full glare of publicity.
In a statement outside the Commons this morning, the 48-year-old Conservative said: “To be falsely accused of anything is an awful thing. Of course, she remains anonymous. The law on anonymity does need to be reviewed and fairness does need to play a far greater role in these cases.”
His call echoes a plea made by former Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans after he was cleared of alleged sexual offences last year.
Under existing laws, people who allege that they are victims of sexual offences — including rape — are entitled to life-long anonymity, while accused men can be identified in the media. The Wrekin MP became front-page news when he was arrested after voluntarily attending a London police station on December 2. He returned on bail today and was informed that he would face no further action.
Mr Pritchard described the ordeal as “a testing time” and claimed that his accuser had “concocted a vindictive and outrageous story”.
He said: “Sadly, as an MP, sometimes you have a target on your back.”
Mr Pritchard reportedly divorced his wife of 15 years, Sondra, in 2013. In September last year, he revealed that he had been targeted by a journalist as part of a sting that led to Tory minister Brooks Newmark resigning for texting explicit selfies.
Uniquely among Tory MPs, Mr Pritchard was raised in an orphanage until the age of five, when he was fostered.
He entered the Commons in 2005 after a career in marketing and became a prominent Eurosceptic and secretary of the powerful Tory 1922 committee.
