Woman who claims she was raped in Tory MPs office by chief of staff gave story to press hours after, court hears

‘I really didn't want my identity to come out and it was a state where I had absolutely no control in the event, so I wanted a little bit of control,’ victim says

Samuel Armstrong is accused of assaulting the young parliamentary worker when she fell asleep after a night of drinking in Westminster (Press Association)

A woman who claims she was raped in a Conservative MP’s office by his chief of staff told her boyfriend she gave the story to the press just hours after the alleged attack, a court has heard.

Samuel Armstrong, 24, is said to have assaulted the young parliamentary worker when she fell asleep after a night drinking in Westminster.

The woman claims the aide, who works for Craig Mackinlay MP, raped her twice after calling her a “bitch” when she turned down an invitation to go back to his flat in Clapham, southwest London.

The woman, who is in her 20s, was captured on CCTV running through the corridors of Westminster in tears in the early hours of 14 October last year.

Southwark Crown Court heard she sent a message to her boyfriend 15 hours after the alleged assault, which said: “Keeping you in the loop. I’ve given it to Harry Cole who works for The Sun. It will either be in the Mail on Sunday or The Sun front page on Monday.”

A later message said: “The media already knew so this is my way of controlling it to ensure I get a sympathetic writer.”

Asked about the messages by Mr Armstrong’s barrister, Sarah Forshaw QC, the woman insisted she did not sell the story and explained it had been a friend who spoke to The Sun.

“I really didn’t want my identity to come out and it was a state where I had absolutely no control in the event, so I wanted a little bit of control,” she said.

Mr Armstrong, from Danbury in Essex, denies two counts of rape, one of sexual assault and one of assault by penetration in the early hours of 14 October 2016, claiming what happened took place with “full consent”.

Ms Forshaw suggested the woman made the allegations after becoming distressed as she tried to leave the Palace of Westminster at around 2am following consensual sex with Mr Armstrong.

Cross-examining the witness, she said: “When it was over you were not upset with him at all, were you?”

The woman replied: “Yes – I was completely confused and devastated in the truest sense of that word.”

The complainant admitted having sent a request to follow Mr Armstrong on Twitter on 3 September this year, but told jurors it was an accident, and said later: “I never want to speak to him again.”

Ms Forshaw asked her: “I don’t suggest you have deliberately set out to lie to get Sam in trouble. I suggest you told a lie at the time and once you had told it you couldn’t take it back?”

The woman replied: “You would be incorrect.”

Ms Forshaw said: “You don’t have any animosity towards Sam even now, do you.”

The alleged victim said: “No. It’s something I have struggled with in the last year.”

When it was put to her that everything that happened in Mr Mackinlay’s office was with her consent, she added: “No, absolutely not.”

The trial continues.