Suspended UK Independence Party (UKIP) activist and former Deputy Chairman Suzanne Evans threatened to include “explosive” details in her witness statement against the party ahead of her failed attempt to seek an injunction against her suspension yesterday morning, Breitbart London can exclusively reveal.
A telephone conversation that took place 45 minutes before an initially threatened court hearing for last Friday, between UKIP’s lawyers and legal representatives for Ms. Evans is reported to have contained a threat from Mr. Richard Hendron, acting on behalf of Ms. Evans, that she would include “…bits about Nigel beating his wife and stuff” in her witness statement for the court.
Mr. Hendron confirmed that he was speaking on behalf of, and acting on behalf of his client Ms. Evans in making said threat, which was used as an attempt to force UKIP into delaying the disciplinary hearing of Ms. Evans for up to two weeks – so that she may remain on the party’s London Assembly list due to be submitted in April.
Breitbart London has confirmed the veracity of the claim, which was also included in a witness statement provided by the party to the court. It reads, under a section entitled “Threats”:
Several overt threats have been made to the party including during the phone call with the Party Secretary. At one point during the call Mr Hendron said “I can tell you this, between you and me, Suzanne is doing her witness statement, which is to become a public document and it is explosive. It has bits about Nigel beating his wife and stuff. Either you are willing for that to happen and that to come out this week, as a court document, which journalists will report on, with no fear of being sued for libel, if you’re willing to let that happen then fine go ahead”. It is later clarified in the recording that these were his instructions. I have taken this as a clear threat to use court procedure inappropriately as an attempt to falsely smear the leader of UKIP.
The tactic was believed to be used in order to lure journalists into reporting the bizarre claim “with no fear of being sued for libel”.
Party insiders speaking on condition of anonymity told Breitbart London: “Suzanne has some fans who are standing by her, claiming she acts in the interests of the party. But this behaviour does not seem to reflect that. She acts in the interest of herself and the yes men she has surrounded herself with. Much like Britain and the EU, she is better off out [of the party]”.
A court yesterday threw out Ms. Evans claims, and following her attempt at an injunction, the High Court ruled that Ms. Evans owed the party around £5,000 in costs – a development that has been called “a slap in the face for party members and the tax payers who pay Ms. Evans’s salary”.
Ms. Evans is believed to be paid in part by the UKIP Parliamentary Resource Unit run by Douglas Carswell MP, alongside drawing a tax payer funded salary from Patrick O’Flynn MEP, who represents UKIP in the European Parliament.
Yesterday Mr. O’Flynn started a petition to keep Ms. Evans inside the party. But social media users have admitted that they have signed the petition despite not being party members, calling into question just how much support Ms. Evans has in the party any more.
Following Mr. Hendron’s initial threats, the party agreed to delay Ms. Evans’s disciplinary by two further days to allow her and her lawyers further time to prepare for the hearing. They subsequently took the party to court anyway.
UKIP’s witness statement concludes: “The party has been put to substantial costs by this application, which could not succeed, without notice and without even a brief explanation of the cause of action [Suzanne Evans] intends to pursue. We have had to engage counsel at the last minute. The party is following its rules and procedures and SE is attempting to use this Court to bypass those for political gain.”
Mr. Hendron did not reply to Breitbart London’s request for comment on the matter.
The PopBitch website reports that Ms. Evans’s court representative himself pleaded guilty yesterday in court on charges related to the purchase of £1,000 worth of “chemsex” drugs.
https://twitter.com/GuidoFawkes/status/713009131930718209
Henry Hendron, the twin brother of Richard Hendron, is reported to have bought £1,000 of drugs including Mephedrone from BBC producer Alexander Parkin. The drugs killed Mr. Hendron’s boyfriend Miguel Jimenez, 18, who was found by the lawyer after the all night party.
Henry Hendron was represented in court by his brother Richard Hendron.
Pink News notes “that just hours after pleading guilty to the drugs charges today, Hendron represented UKIP’s former chair Suzanne Evans in an employment-related case, also heard at the High Court”.
UPDATE:
Mr. Richard Hendron has been in touch to say: “I was not speaking out of turn I was just having a general conversation.I confirm that I did not say that sussane [sic] was going to include stuff about Nigel beating his wife.”
However, it appears he has told Michael Crick of Channel 4:
UPDATE 2:
https://twitter.com/RaheemKassam/status/713080763747536896
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