A judge has dismissed the claim by Britain’s first ‘transgender’ MP that he illegally fled the scene of an accident because he was suffering from PTSD, fining him and revoking his driving licence.
Jamie Wallis, the Conservative Party MP for Bridgend, Wales, has had his licence revoked and fined £2,500 after he fled the scene of his crashed car, over being found guilty of failing to stop, to report a road traffic collision and leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position. In remarkable testimony heard in court, Wallis was said to be dressed in women’s clothes and wearing high-heels at the time of the smash, acted erratically, and complained of being harassed when bystanders rushed to the scene.
Wallis became the first MP to come out as “transgender” earlier this year, with the Tory Party rep linking traumatic events he experienced as the reason he abandoned his crashed car back in November, having failed to report the incident immediately to the police.
According to a report by The Guardian, Wallis claimed him having been raped in his own London flat had left him with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which was triggered after the MP crashed his car into a Telegraph pole, resulting in him fleeing the scene.
The court heard that after the crash, Wallis — who was described as being dressed in “a white long-sleeve top, a black leather PVC miniskirt, tights, dark shoes and a pearl necklace” — made a number of phone calls, before being picked up by his father in a Land Rover Discovery. Locals who were nearby when the early-hours crash took place went to investigate the “very loud bang” of the collision but the “confused” Wallis claimed he believed they had come to accost, restrain, or kidnap him, hence his swift departure.
Police later found the MP in what an officer described as his “absolutely colossal” family home, reportedly after forcing entry out of concern for the man, with one officer describing finding Wallis wearing make-up.
“His eyelids were dark, his lips were red and his cheeks were bronzed, and he had red nail polish on his toes,” PC Louis Hall is reported by Sky News as saying.
However, while a medical professional confirmed to the court that Wallis had indeed been diagnosed with PTSD, Judge Tan Ikram said that he did not find the MP’s defence of his actions credible, arguing that such a diagnosis did not constitute an excuse.
“He made the decision to leave the scene,” Judge Ikram reportedly said. “He could have rung 999 or 101. He didn’t. I am sure he didn’t through a conscious choice, not from being overwhelmed and acting irrationally.”
“If your judgment is impaired, as your lawyer suggests, some may wonder why you are driving at all,” the judge went on to remark.
Speaking on the ruling, a spokesman for the Conservative Party Whips’ office said that it was “right” that Wallis has been “punished” over the incident, but that the party itself is not planning to take any action against the MP, and instead “will continue to provide welfare support”.
This response mimics those made by many within the party after Wallis came out as transgender, with many — including Prime Minister Boris Johnson — vocally supporting the representative.
“The Conservative Party I lead will always give you, and everyone else, the love and support you need to be yourself.,” Johnson wrote in a statement after his fellow MP came out as “transgender”, with the Prime Minister going on to “thank” the Brigend rep for his “bravery, which will undoubtedly support others”.
Many in the leftist Labour Party also welcomed Wallis’ announcement, with the party’s shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, saying at the time that he was “sending[him] love and solidarity from the other side of the Commons”.
“This is hugely courageous of you to share,” Streeting also told the Tory MP.
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