A Tory MP who fled the scene of a late-night road crash in high-heel shoes feared he would be “raped, killed or kidnapped”, a court heard.
Jamie Wallis, who has represented Bridgend since 2019, denies four traffic offences following an incident in Llanblethian, South Wales, last November.
Mr Wallis – who became the first MP in the UK to come out as transgender in March this year – told the court he swerved his Mercedes to avoid hitting a cat and the car subsequently hit a lamppost and telegraph pole.
He said he left the scene out of fear he would be attacked due to post-traumatic stress disorder which he developed after being raped in September.
Nearby residents Adrian Watson and Natalie Webb were hosting a gathering when they heard a “very loud bang, significantly louder than a domestic firework” just after 1am.
Ms Webb said she went outside and saw amber flashing lights on a Mercedes E-Class saloon that had crashed into a lamppost.
Mr Watson said he 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”.
When he asked Mr Wallis if he was OK, Mr Watson said the male replied: “I’m sorting it. I’m sorting it.”
Mr Watson said he was going to call the police before Mr Wallis began walking away from the scene, the court heard.
He said he followed Mr Wallis and saw him make two phone calls – during one he claimed he was being “accosted”. The defendant was then picked up by his father in a Land Rover Discovery.
In a prepared statement to police, the MP said he was in “pain and shock” after the collision.
“I noticed a group of people approaching and felt anxious,” he said. “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.”
Police Sgt Gareth Handy said that when he attended Mr Wallis’s family home, which he described as a “mansion” and “absolutely colossal”, he forced entry into the property out of concern for the MP.
Sgt Handy said Mr Wallis was eventually found in one of the rooms of the house, adding: “I saw Jamie had make-up on his face.”
When police searched his flat, which is part of the property, they found a blonde wig on a table, the court heard.
PC Louis Hall, who found Mr Wallis asleep in a bedroom, 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.”
Mr Wallis, who was found naked, was given a blanket until clothing could be found.
The black leather skirt and pearl necklace, which were next to the bed, were seized by police. Mr Wallis was arrested at 7.21am.
The trial is expected to last up to two days.
Additional reporting by PA
