Obstruction case against father of Tory MP Jamie Wallis dropped

The Bridgend MP, 38, from Crossways House, Cowbridge, was this week banned from driving for six months and given a £2,500 fine after crashing his Mercedes and demolishing a telegraph pole on Church Road, Llanblethian, on November 28.

Daryl Wallis picked his son up from the scene of the crash in his Land Rover Discovery and drove him home, the court heard.

Jamie Wallis is the first MP to come out as transgender and he was dressed in women’s clothing when the collision happened.

He told Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Monday that he feared being “raped, killed or kidnapped” when he saw residents of the street approaching him.

In March, Jamie Wallis revealed he had been raped at his London accommodation two months prior to the crash and he told District Judge Tan Ikram it was his post-traumatic stress disorder which caused him to run from the scene.

Credible

Judge Ikram said he “didn’t find the defendant credible” and that “having PTSD is not a defence”, and ultimately convicted the MP for failing to stop, failing to report and leaving the car in a dangerous position.

He found him not guilty of driving with undue care and attention.

During the trial, Pc Gareth Handy said at around 6.50am he had forced entry into the family’s “colossal” home out of concern for the MP, but claimed Mr Wallis senior had not wanted police to conduct a search of the property.

A search was eventually carried out and Jamie Wallis was found in one of the bedrooms, asleep naked and wearing make-up.

His father appeared at the same court on Wednesday to deny the charges but the case was dismissed after failure by the Crown Prosecution Service to make disclosures to the defence in time for the hearing.

Peter Rouch QC, defending, argued any adjournment would come at considerable financial cost to his client.