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30 April 2010
For the past five years, my private life has from time to time been the subject of media scrutiny.
This has been a painful experience and the support of local people has been generous and humbling. I am very sad that both my marriages have failed, in very different circumstances. I have explained to the press that I do not consider it appropriate to respond to questions which concern matters that are wholly private, but I have made statements about the bare facts. Certain matters about me continue to be reported in the press and in election literature that are inaccurate or misleading. I seek here to set the record straight.
I did not cheat on my first (or indeed second) wife. I made a complaint for libel against the publishers of the Mail on Sunday for making this and other allegations. They published an apology in which they said we now accept these allegations are untrue and Mr Pellings relationship with Lucy Slaytor, who he later married, began only after the breakdown of his first marriage."
I married Lucy Slaytor in November 2006.
In September 2007 Lucy accused me of assaulting her and I was arrested and questioned. Seven days after the arrest and after adverse publicity in the media regarding which I subsequently successfully sued for libel I was suspended from the Conservative Party.
In October 2007, the CPS announced that, after a thorough police investigation, it would not press charges. The Conservative Party did not offer to re-instate the Whip at this time.
It was made clear to me on December 3 2007 that the Tories, in spite of the fact that no charges against me were ever brought, did not want me to be a candidate for the Conservatives. Under pressure from the Party, I signed a letter on 3 December 2007, in which it was stated I will not be seeking re-election as the Conservative candidate for Croydon Central at the next General Election. The Party began the process of selecting a new candidate and although, at the end of December, before the Committee of selection sat, I informed the Party of my wish to retract that letter, the selection process continued.
For the next 8 months I battled with clinical depression. In January 2008 I announced I was taking a break on the advice of doctors.
In February 2008, the Conservative Party selected Gavin Barwell as its candidate for the next election.
From the end of March 2008 I undertook limited Parliamentary work, participating in key votes.
From April 2008 Tokai Tokyo Securities Europe Limited, the financial securities company for whom I undertake some client relationship work offered support and encouraged me to go into the office from time to time, which I did very occasionally, but I did not deliver any meaningful or beneficial services. Any suggestion that I worked for the company in spite of withdrawing from political life is not true.
I returned to full Parliamentary duties at the end of July 2008.
The Conservative Party offered verbally in July 2008 to re-instate the Party Whip at some stage in the future subject to my not being a Conservative candidate at the election. This is not an offer I have taken up. As underlined by a letter from the Chief Whip of 9 March 2009 given wide circulation to Croydon Conservatives the offer of the whip was extended only "for the remainder of this Parliament" and the Chief Whip re-asserts in the letter that my not being a Conservative candidate was the appropriate approach. This entirely contradicts electoral material being distributed.
Since my recovery from depression and since returning to my duties, I have felt strengthened by my position of independence and better able freely to serve the people of Croydon. It is upon my record of service that I hope to be judged.
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