Female Ukip activist alleges assault after ‘drink spiked’ at party conference

A woman has claimed she was assaulted, spat on and called a “whore” at a Ukip gala dinner, according to a report into the scandal during the 2012 party conference in Birmingham.

The unnamed party activist afterwards sent emails to Ukip director Lisa Duffy, in which she wrote “one of my drinks was spiked”, alleging that she was subsequently assaulted, and that she had been blackmailed into keeping quiet.

Later messages contained more detail of the events that occurred on 21 September last year, following a dinner where party leader Nigel Farage gave a speech.

The woman said: “One young guy took me outside, ripped down my dress while another took photographs, spat on me and called me a whore. All I remember is someone saying it was set up.”

She added: “One young man needs slinging out of the party and reporting to the police. I haven’t done the latter since I didn’t want a scandal for everyone who works so hard in Ukip or a scandal for my family.”

With the knowledge of Mr Farage, Ukip then commissioned one of its most senior officials, Michael Greaves, to investigate the incident. Mr Greaves is a lawyer who previously worked at the International Criminal Court, and he proceeded to conduct interviews with the alleged victim, attacker, and key witnesses including Mr Farage’s wife Kirsten.

The result of Mr Greaves’ findings was that “the complaint is, on any view, in a sorry state”, and he recommended the file on the matter be closed. The allegations have only come to light now because of leaked details reported by The Telegraph, and the fact that Mr Greaves then provided the newspaper with his full report.

The Ukip general secretary concluded that there was no need to get the police involved in the matter, adding that even if the man accused was found guilty the most likely sentence would be a conditional discharge at the Magistrates’ Court.

He also said that the only “sexual aspect” to the whole case was that the woman was reported to be “coming on strongly” to Mr Farage earlier in the night, apparently after drinking a large quantity of wine. Mr Greaves said that inconsistencies in the allegations and an apparently honest defence and alibi from the accused meant he could not recommend the matter go to the police.

He nonetheless told The Telegraph: “For what it’s worth something may have happened to her but I don’t think for a moment she got the right person. That’s my guess.”

The activist reportedly still stands by her story, and is claimed to have written on a social networking website that she was: “Starting to write a short book about the attack.”