MP suspended from Tories for sexually abusing teenager

It has been revealed that a member of parliament who was suspended by the Tories is on trial. He is accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old boy in 2008.

Imran Ahmad Khan, 47, who represents the town of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, “strongly” denied the allegation that he had groped the teenager in Staffordshire.

Ahmad Khan helped Boris Johnson to a large majority in the House of Commons by winning the constituency in the so-called “red wall” that formed the Labour Party’s strongholds in the Midlands and the north of England.

The Conservatives said Ahmad Khan had been suspended from whip status, meaning he will sit in the House of Commons as an independent, after restrictions preventing his identification were lifted on Friday.

The MP is accused of sexually assaulting the then teenager in 2008, whose identity is unknown because he is believed to be the victim of a sexual offense.

Ahmad Khan, who is from Wakefield and was first elected in the 2019 general election, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday via video link from his lawyer’s office.

When asked if he would plead guilty to the charges, he replied: “Not guilty.”

In a subsequent statement, Ahmad Khan added: “I want to make it clear right from the start that I strongly reject this allegation, which is over 13 years old.

“This matter concerns me deeply and I obviously take it extremely seriously.

“Being accused of doing something I did not do is shocking, destabilizing and traumatic. I am innocent.”

“Those who, like me, are falsely accused of such acts find themselves in the difficult position of having to endure damaging and painful speculation until the case is closed.

“I request privacy while I work to clear my name.”

Ahmad Khan was granted unconditional bail ahead of his appearance at the Old Bailey on July 15.

At the last general election, he won the Wakefield constituency from Mary Creagh, toppling the most senior Labour MP who had held a 2,000-vote majority in the seat since 2005.

The loss of Ahmad Khan from the parliamentary party is unlikely to significantly reduce the Prime Minister’s power in the House of Commons, as he still has a comfortable majority of over 80 percent.

But Johnson faced considerable opposition to passing a coronavirus restrictions bill, and only the Labour Party’s failure to oppose the measures saved it from defeat.

A spokeswoman for the Tory Whips Office said: “Imran Ahmad Khan has been disbarred from the whip position. As legal proceedings are ongoing, we will have no further comment.”

It was believed that the suspension was announced when parliamentary group leader Mark Spencer was informed of the allegations.

Ahmad Khan is said to have not been on Parliament grounds since the charges were brought and is not expected to return during the ongoing proceedings.

The charge, read out in court, stated: “In the county of Staffordshire, you intentionally touched a 15-year-old boy. This touching was sexual although he had not consented and you could not reasonably have assumed that he had consented. This is contrary to section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.”

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring said the case was not suitable for trial in the Magistrates’ Court and referred it to the Old Bailey.

According to his website, the MP was born in Wakefield, where he attended the independent Silcoates School before going on to study at the Pushkin Institute in Russia and completing a bachelor’s degree in war studies at King’s College London.

Before joining Parliament, he worked for the United Nations as a Special Assistant for Political Affairs in Mogadishu.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had made the decision to prosecute after reviewing a file of evidence from Staffordshire Police.

Rosemary Ainslie of the CPS stressed the need for a fair trial, saying: “It is vital that there are no reports, comments or exchanges of information online that could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”