ROSS Thomson has been cleared of groping a Scottish Labour MP in a House of Commons bar in 2018.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards said the Tory’s behaviour was not sexual in nature and cleared him of any breach of the parliament’s misconduct policy.
In interviews with two newspapers, the former Labour MP for Glasgow North East, Paul Sweeney, accused the Tory of drunkenly trying to fondle his genitals and forcing a hand down his trousers. Thomson – who was close to Boris Johnson and helped coordinate his leadership campaign – vehemently denied the allegations at the time, but nevertheless stood down and did not contest his Aberdeen South seat at the 2019 General Election.
The commissioner found that witness accounts did not support Sweeney’s allegations.
While they said it was “entirely possible that discreet contact might not have been observed by others, Mr Sweeney’s account was of behaviour that was highly unlikely to have gone unnoticed by others in the immediate vicinity”.
The commissioner said that she was “concerned that the detail of Mr Sweeney’s account has changed, with new elements introduced over time, some of which have not been substantiated”.
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However, the commissioner said: “I cannot safely conclude that this complaint presents as a malicious one.”
Investigators said that while Thomson was drunk, and had repeatedly put his arms around Sweeney, invading his personal space, this didn’t cross the boundary into being sexually inappropriate.
Sweeney submitted his complaint five months after he claimed to have been assaulted.
His complaint also came after separate allegations were made against Thomson, which had resulted in police being called to the same bar.
The commissioner found Sweeney’s explanation that he only raised the complaint when he thought Thomson may be a serial offender to be “plausible”.
Thomson said he was “exploring all legal avenues.”
He told BBC Scotland News: “I have had two years of hell, my reputation irreparably damaged.
“I will try and move on. I’ve had horrific levels of abuse not just online but here in the street. I couldn’t go to my local pub without people shutting abuse at me or chanting songs.
“I’d banners hung up about me up and across what was my constituency accusing me of horrible things, not even far from where my grandmother and family are and I’ve had to live with that.
“I don’t think anyone deserves that.”
Sweeney can appeal the decision.
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