Conservative MP Failed to Report Accident

A Conservative MP failed to stop and report a collision between the vehicle he was driving and street furniture.

Jamie Wallis, 38, of Crossways House, Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, was convicted of failing to stop at an accident, failing to report an accident and leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position after a trial at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday, 11th July 2022.

Wallis was cleared of a charge of driving without due care and attention.

Failing to report an accident is an offence under section 170(4) of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The maximum penalty on summary conviction is 26 weeks' custody and/or an unlimited fine.

District Judge Tam Ikram, having a day out in sunny South Wales, heard that Wallis was driving a Mercedes E-class saloon on Church Road in Llanblethian in the early hours of Sunday, 28th November 2021, when it collided with a lamppost and telegraph pole.

Carina Hughes, prosecuting, described how local residents Adrian Watson and Natalie Webb heard "a very loud bang, significantly louder than a domestic firework" just after 1 am.

When Mr Watson went outside to investigate he found the Mercedes crashed into a lamppost with its hazard warning lights flashing.

Mr Watson looked inside the car and saw "a white male wearing a white long-sleeve top which was tight to the body, a black leather PVC mini-skirt, tights, dark shoes with a high heel and a pearl necklace."

Mr Watson asked the male, now identified as Wallis, if he was okay, to which the MP responded: "I'm sorting it. I'm sorting it."

Wallis started walking away from the scene, so Mr Watson said he was going to call the police. He continued to follow Wallis, who made a phone call claiming he was "being accosted" by the concerned resident.

A short time later Wallis was picked up by his father in a Land Rover Discovery.

Police Sergeant Gareth Handy attended Wallis' home address, which he described as "absolutely colossal" and "a mansion". As there was no response, he forced entry out of concern for the MP. Wallis was eventually located in one of the bedrooms.

A second officer, PC Louis Hall, said: "He appeared to be 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."

In March 2022 Wallis became the first MP to openly come out as being transgender, but identifies as a male in his public role. At the same time he revealed he had been raped in September 2021, but he has never reported the allegation to the police.

Giving evidence, Wallis said: "It was profoundly distressing and traumatised. I became obsessed with what happened, I kept thinking about it, having nightmares and flashbacks. I would wake up in the middle of the night believing he was in my flat. I was hyper-anxious and hyper-alert."

In a prepared statement, he told police: "I noticed a group of people approaching and felt anxious.

"Due to my medical condition and time of the day and the weather conditions I felt I needed to get away.

"When I got home I took my medication and felt drowsy. I have been recently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder."

In relation to the collision, Wallis claimed that he had been "driving relatively slowly" and had swerved to avoid a cat.

Ms Hughes challenged the MP on the speed of the collision, highlighting the considerable damage done to the telegraph pole.

She put it to him: "You hit it with such force that the pole snapped. The reason you hit the pole isn't because there was a cat. You were driving without due care and attention and resulted in you losing control and driving into that wall and telegraph pole?"

Wallis replied: "That's not true. There was a cat and I swerved to avoid it."

Ms Hughes also suggested that Wallis could have contacted the police if he was so minded, considering he had made several other calls between the time of the collision and his arrest at 7.21 am.

"If I was able to I would have done," he replied.

Having considered the evidence, DJ Ikram was of the view that Wallis was guilty of failing to stop at an accident, failing to report an accident and leaving the vehicle in a dangerous position. The offence of driving without due care and attention had not been made out.

DJ Ikram said: "I am going to be upfront. I didn't find the defendant credible in the evidence he gave.

"When I watched him give evidence it seemed to me not only was he fitting his own behaviour around the behaviour of PTSD, and his actions on the night does not suggest he was overwhelmed and acting out of fear that night.

"Having PTSD is not a defence. What the prosecution have proved to me he was able to make decisions that night - he made bad decisions.

"I am sure he was not prevented through PTSD to giving details or particulars and report the accident soon after.

"He made a decision he didn't want to be there and made a decision to ring his father.

"Through all of that period he could have rung 999 or 101 - he didn't. I am sure he didn't through a conscious choice, not through being overwhelmed or acting irrationally."

Wallis was fined £2,500 and ordered to pay £620 towards prosecution costs and £190 surcharge.

He was also disqualified from driving for a period of 6 months.