Former Tory justice minister Crispin Blunt has retracted his statement questioning the conviction of his MP colleague Imran Ahmad Khan.
Mr Blunt also apologised and offered to quit from a parliamentary LGBT+ rights group for his comments after Khan, MP for Wakefield, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 2008.
Khan was thrown out of the Conservative Party following the verdict on Monday but Mr Blunt initially described it as a “dreadful miscarriage of justice” and “nothing short of an international scandal”.
Those comments attracted fierce criticism and pressure for a retraction and by Tuesday morning his tweet and a statement about the case on his website had been deleted.
In a statement withdrawing the remarks, Mr Blunt said: “On reflection I have decided to retract my statement defending Imran Ahmad Khan.
“I am sorry that my defence of him has been a cause of significant upset and concern not least to victims of sexual offences.”
Source : skynews
