Patrick Spencer was found not guilty in the Groucho Club case after a jury cleared the Conservative MP of two sexual assault charges.
Patrick Spencer has been cleared in the Groucho Club case after a jury found the Conservative MP not guilty of two sexual assault charges at Southwark Crown Court. The verdict ended a trial over allegations that he touched the breasts of two women during separate incidents at the London private members’ club in August 2023.
Spencer, who represents Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, denied both counts. The 38-year-old was said to have been on a night out with friends at the Groucho Club before he became an MP. The court heard that he had been drinking, though he said he was not out of control. CCTV from the evening showed him staggering through the venue, according to the evidence presented at trial.
Prosecutors alleged that Spencer started conversations with two women he did not know and pushed drinks he had bought on them before coming up behind each of them and placing his hands on their breasts. Spencer said he did not recall the incidents. He also told the jury he would not have badgered the women to drink with him or asked one of them personal questions about her marriage. One complainant told jurors she froze after the incident, while the other said she felt mortified.
The trial also heard evidence about a fist-hand gesture Spencer made after one of the alleged incidents, which was caught on CCTV. Prosecutors suggested it looked celebratory, but Spencer said he was embarrassed and made the gesture after the woman pushed him away. In police interview, he described the episode as a moment of complete stupidity and said he was an overfriendly person. Friends who gave evidence said he was often physically familiar on nights out and had never been known to cross personal boundaries. His wife, Anna, described him in court as kind, gentle and compassionate.
The eight men and four women on the jury took seven hours and six minutes to reach their decision. After the verdicts were returned, Spencer fell to his knees in the dock and was seen sobbing. He later told reporters he had always maintained his innocence and said the case had brought a very long and challenging period in his life to an end.
Spencer, elected as a Conservative MP in July 2024, had the party whip removed in 2025 after he was charged and had been sitting as an Independent MP. The Conservatives said after the verdict that the whip had been restored and his suspension lifted. Police and prosecutors said the case had been fully investigated and fairly considered. The takeaway is simple: the legal fight is over, and Spencer says he is ready to return to representing his constituents.
