Julian Knight: MP accused of serious sexual assault to be investigated by Essex Police after referral from Met

MP Julian Knight is being investigated by Essex Police over an allegation of serious sexual assault, after the case was referred to them by another force.

The Met Police confirmed in December that it was looking into into the then-Tory MP, who had the whip removed and was suspended from the party as a result. In March, the Met said its investigation had concluded - but the Tories refused to restore Knight’s party membership, saying at the time it had received “further complaints”.

Knight, who has been an MP for Solihul since 2015, has denied what he has described as a “false and malicious accusation” and insisted he is “entirely innocent of any wrongdoing.”

The former chairman of the Commons Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee currently sits as an independent in the House of Commons, but announced in April that he would not seek to have the whip restored or stand for any other party at the next general election. He said this is due to how the scandal has damaged his “physical and mental wellbeing” and inflicted “pain and distress” upon his loved ones.

In a statement announcing the investigation on Tuesday (16 May), Essex Police said: “We have agreed to take on an investigation which has been referred to us from the Metropolitan Police Service. We are investigating an allegation of serious sexual assault. Detectives who specialise in cases of this kind will gather evidence and conduct a thorough investigation.”

The force added that Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Waldie will oversee the work carried out by a senior investigating officer with “extensive experience”, and advised media, news outlets and commentators “not to enter into any speculative comment or reporting on this matter.”

Knight has not yet commented on the fresh investigation by Essex Police, but in April, wrote in a statement on Twitter: “The past year has been for my wife and I the worst of our lives. The false and malicious accusation brought against me last December did untold damage to my physical and mental well being as well as causing pain and distress to my loved ones.”

He continued by saying when the police “exonerated” him, “without ever needing to interview [him]”, he believed the “nightmare” was over. “It seemed that justice, although delayed, had prevailed,” the former chairman of the Commons Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee said.

“However,” he continued, “the whips’ office immediately made a statement about unspecified further complaints which, tarnished my name and left my family and me in limbo.”

After the Met Police announced it was “no longer proceeding with an investigation”, with no arrests having been made, the government Whips’ Office said it had received “further complaints” and therefore would not be restoring the party whip to Knight.

A spokesperson for Chief Whip Simon Hart added at the time: “These complaints, if appropriate, will be referred to the relevant police force, or appropriate bodies.”

Meanwhile, Essex Police, which has confirmed it is looking into a single allegation of serious sexual assault, has said its investigation remains “at an early stage”. It is unclear as of yet why the Met referred the case on to the force based in south-east England.