Tory aide raped woman in boss's office in parliament

Samuel Armstrong, 24, is alleged to have attacked the woman, who also worked in parliament, after drinking with her in the Palace of Westminster.

Armstrong, an aide for Craig Mackinlay, the South Thanet MP, is said to have taken advantage of his victim, who is in her 20s, when they were alone in his boss’s office.

The prosecutor Mark Heywood QC said he had raped her twice, adding: “In doing so, we suggest, he was interested only in himself. She, in distress, walked and ran through the corridors of that place, Westminster, eventually finding and telling a member of cleaning staff what had happened.

“He went out another way, using his pass and sending her messages, one of which suggested that he was concerned and that she contact him if she had ‘any issues’.”

Armstrong, from Danbury in Essex, is standing trial at Southwark crown court in London, where he denies two counts of rape, one of sexual assault and one of assault by penetration on 14 October 2016. He appeared in the dock on Tuesday, as the prosecutor outlined the case against him.

Heywood said: “On a night in the autumn of last year this defendant abused his position.”

The prosecutor told the jury that after an evening of drinking at his workplace, Armstrong allegedly took advantage of the woman after hours when they were alone in Mackinlay’s office.

Jurors were told Armstrong claimed what had happened had taken place with “full consent”.

The trial, which is expected to last for two weeks, continues.