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Reform UK MP James McMurdock was jailed for repeatedly kicking his girlfriend 18 years ago, it has emerged, as fresh details in the scandal over the politician’s crime come to light.
Mr McMurdock claimed he had “pushed” his partner when details of his historical conviction, which he had not disclosed to the public before the election, were first revealed in July.
But court records from his sentencing, obtained by The Times this week, show he was detained in a young offenders’ institution for 21 days for kicking the victim around four times, in an incident which took place in 2006.
According to the records obtained and reported on by The Times, Mr McMurdock pleaded guilty to assault by beating, and the “serious nature of the offence” meant the sentence was not suspended.
The Times reported the offence “requires immediate punishment” and that a pre-sentence report indicated a “lack of willingness to comply”.
The conviction initially came to light when the victim’s mother told the Mail Online he had “left marks on her body” and “it took two security guards to pull him off her” during the attack outside a nightclub in Chelmsford, Essex.
At the time of those revelations, Mr McMurdock apologised for what he described as the “biggest regret of my life” but downplayed the assault as a “teenage indiscretion” and disputed the details of the mother’s account.
In a statement, he said: “A generous person might call it a teenage indiscretion, but I do not expect everyone to be so kind.
“Nearly 20 years ago, at 19 years of age, at the end of a night out together, we argued and I pushed her.
“She fell over and she was hurt. Despite being 38 now and having lived a whole life again I still feel deeply ashamed of that moment and apologetic.”
While there is no requirement for MPs to disclose previous convictions to the public when standing for election, Labour MP for Nottingham East Nadia Whittome accused Mr McMurdock of failing to be “properly accountable”.
“Neither he nor his party [which knew] disclosed the conviction at the election. This man belongs nowhere near law-making and power,” Ms Whittome said. “The refusal to be properly accountable is disturbing… The passive ‘she fell over and she was hurt’.”
Mr McMurdock won the seat of South Basildon and East Thurrock for Reform UK at this year’s election, beating Conservative candidate Stephen Metcalfe by just 98 votes.
When the MP’s conviction first emerged – the week after he was elected – a Reform UK spokesperson confirmed the party was aware of his jail sentence.
“He handed himself in, and pleaded guilty to common assault, about which he continues to be deeply ashamed,” the spokesperson said.
“Reform UK believes strongly that people can change their lives. The young Essex teenager of 20 years ago is one that learned from that mistake and has become a role model for his peers. Happily married, hard-working and grounded.
“Mr McMurdock was entirely honest with us when he applied to become our candidate for his hometown and his life shows that one can change, for the better.”
He and his party have been contacted for comment.
