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| British M.P. Is Questioned in Rape Inquiry | |
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| A senior lawmaker from Britain’s ruling Conservative Party was arrested and questioned by the police on Saturday over allegations of rape and sexual assault involving two men, according to a person familiar with the investigation. | A senior lawmaker from Britain’s ruling Conservative Party was arrested and questioned by the police on Saturday over allegations of rape and sexual assault involving two men, according to a person familiar with the investigation. |
| The police did not release the suspect’s name or job, describing him only as a 55-year-old man from Pendleton, a town in northern England. But the person with knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, identified him as Nigel Evans, a Conservative member of Parliament who serves as one of three deputy speakers in the House of Commons. | The police did not release the suspect’s name or job, describing him only as a 55-year-old man from Pendleton, a town in northern England. But the person with knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity, identified him as Nigel Evans, a Conservative member of Parliament who serves as one of three deputy speakers in the House of Commons. |
| The attacks “are alleged to have been committed in Pendleton between July 2009 and March 2013,” the Lancashire police said in a statement. | The attacks “are alleged to have been committed in Pendleton between July 2009 and March 2013,” the Lancashire police said in a statement. |
| Mr. Evans’s arrest does not necessarily mean he will be charged with a crime, only that he was being interrogated by the police as a suspect. He was re leased on bail later Saturday, and ordered to report back for questioning next month. | Mr. Evans’s arrest does not necessarily mean he will be charged with a crime, only that he was being interrogated by the police as a suspect. He was re leased on bail later Saturday, and ordered to report back for questioning next month. |
| He is one of only a handful of openly gay members of Parliament. In a 2010 interview with The Mail on Sunday in which he publicly acknowledged his sexuality for the first time, Mr. Evans said that he was “tired of living a lie” and that he had been threatened with exposure by rivals. | He is one of only a handful of openly gay members of Parliament. In a 2010 interview with The Mail on Sunday in which he publicly acknowledged his sexuality for the first time, Mr. Evans said that he was “tired of living a lie” and that he had been threatened with exposure by rivals. |
| The British news media reported that Prime Minister David Cameron had been informed of the arrest, but a spokesman for the Conservative Party refused to confirm the reports. | The British news media reported that Prime Minister David Cameron had been informed of the arrest, but a spokesman for the Conservative Party refused to confirm the reports. |
| The news comes at an awkward time politically. The Conservatives were trounced in local elections last week, losing ground to the tiny right-wing U.K. Independence Party. | The news comes at an awkward time politically. The Conservatives were trounced in local elections last week, losing ground to the tiny right-wing U.K. Independence Party. |
| Mr. Evans did not return messages seeking comment. | Mr. Evans did not return messages seeking comment. |
Sarah Lyall contributed reporting from London. | Sarah Lyall contributed reporting from London. |