Jamie Wallis MP pleads not guilty to traffic offences

Conservative MP for Bridgend Jamie Wallis has pleaded not guilty to four traffic offences.

Mr Wallis, 37, from Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, has denied failing to stop, failing to report a road traffic collision, careless driving and leaving a vehicle in a dangerous position.

The charges relate to a crash in nearby Llanblethian on 28 November, 2021.

During the hearing at Cardiff Magistrates' Court, Mr Wallis was told he would stand trial in July.

He was arrested on suspicion of "driving whilst unfit" following a late-night crash when a Mercedes hit a lamppost in Llanblethian.

At Tuesday's hearing, Mike Williams, prosecuting, told District Judge Tan Ikram that it was the Crown's case that Mr Wallis was responsible for driving the Mercedes without due care and attention, that he failed to stop after the accident and failed to report within the first 24 hours after the incident.

In a highly public statement released that month, Mr Wallis revealed he had been raped and blackmailed, and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

He also said he wanted to transition to be a woman.

Mr Wallis wrote that he had been targeted by a blackmailer who threatened to out him to the public unless he paid £50,000.

The MP said the offender was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison after admitting his guilt.

Mr Wallis was elected to represent Bridgend at the 2019 general election, unseating Labour for the first time in three decades.