Former Tory whip Aaron Bell groped young staffer in ‘brazen and drunken’ sexual assault, report claims

A former assistant Tory whip groped a young staffer in a “brazen and drunken” sexual manner, a parliamentary watchdog has found.

The commission came to the following conclusion Aaron Bellwho refused to run for the election, touched a woman “inappropriately and without her consent on the left thigh, lower back and bottom” in one of the parliamentary bars last December.

Independent expert group (IEP) concluded that if he had still been a deputy, he would have been in danger of being suspended from parliament for a “significant period”.

Mr Bell responded by saying he apologized for “any distress caused to the complainant” and his former constituents and that he had let down “loyal members of my association”.

He said he decided not to run for parliament again in part because of the investigation into his conduct.

The incident happened in the village of Bar for strangers in the Palace of Westminster.

The report states: “Any Member of Parliament in this position remains a person with special power and authority. Indeed, such sexual behavior, which is both brazen and intoxicated, makes the behavior more serious because the level of threat increases.”

It turned out that he had “abused his position over the complainant”, since “he was not only much older, but was also a member of parliament, so he played a particularly important role.

The report said: “In addition, he was the Assistant Government Whip, which is not only a senior ministerial position with significant powers, but also a role that requires the highest standards of behaviour.”

“I did not intend to cause suffering”

Mr Bell told the IEP that he was “clearly intoxicated” and could not “remember anything about the evening”.

The panel said that if he had been entitled to the former member of the Palace of Westminster’s pass, it would have sought “his indefinite removal”.

Mr Bell has been a sitting Member of Parliament since 2019 and stood down at the previous election, so has not served long enough to be granted such a pass.

In a statement, Mr Bell said: “I am disappointed by the outcome of the investigation but have decided not to challenge the Commissioner’s findings.

“I apologize for any distress caused to the complainant and want to make it clear that it was not my intention to cause any distress.

He added: “This investigation was one of the reasons I decided not to stand for re-election at the general election – I have let down the loyal members of my association and I thank them for the support they have given me as an MP.

“I would also like to apologize to people Newcastle-under-Lymewhom it was an honor to serve.

“This has been a difficult time for my family and I would ask that their privacy be respected.”

The findings come after the Independent Complaints and Complaints Scheme (ICGS) said in October that Westminster’s drinking culture was contributing to inappropriate behaviour.