Shamed sex-pest MP Patrick Grady is now at the centre of a police investigation, the Sunday Mail can reveal.
The Metropolitan Police are investigating the incident at a London pub where the SNP politician was said to have made “unwanted sexual advances” to a teenage party employee.
The police complaint, seen by this newspaper, claims Grady committed a sexual assault on the then 19-year-old.
That included “unwanted physical touching, with sexual intent, paramount to sexual assault” and claims that “his actions may also be criminal and should be investigated”.
The document also claims that the “young age” of the victim was why Grady “preyed on him”.
The complaint has been made not by Grady’s victim but by another worker at the Palace of Westminster and detectives are preparing to speak to the young man at the centre of the case.
One source said: “This has now become a police probe, which is a significant shift in this whole sorry saga.”
It is the latest development which has seen Grady suspended from the House of Commons for two days and the SNP withdraw the party whip during the suspension. However, critics claimed the penalty did not go far enough.
The earlier probe by MPs concluded he had significantly breached Parliament’s sexual misconduct policy.
He later issued an apology before MPs, admitting he should have taken into account the 17-year age gap between him and the victim and the fact he was in a position of greater authority.
He also said he had been drunk when he was in The Water Poet pub at the time which had “aggravated” the situation.
The male victim has told of how he felt unsupported and ambushed by the SNP in their handling of his complaint about Grady.
He has since called for the Glasgow North MP to step down along with the party’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford, who had urged fellow SNP MPs to support Grady in a leaked recording of a group meeting.
The tape recorded Blackford telling his colleagues he “would encourage” them to give “as much support as possible” to the shamed MP, while Amy Callaghan, the MP for East Dunbartonshire, also said they should be “rallying together around him to support him at this time”.
They have both since apologised amid accusations they have not supported the victim and put the wellbeing of the perpetrator first.
MP Joanna Cherry said earlier this week she thought Blackford could benefit from HR lessons in the wake of the scandal.
The scandal and subsequent leak has caused distinct rifts within the SNP. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the comments heard on the recording were “utterly unacceptable” and added that the tape “reveals part of what was wrong on that case”.
The complainer, who still works for the SNP, said his life has been made a “living hell” and he is now considering legal action.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “On June 22 police received an allegation of sexual assault that is said to have taken place in October 2016 at a commercial premises in Folgate Street, E1.
“The report was submitted online by a third party. Officers will now be making inquiries, including contacting the alleged victim, in order to assess what further action is required.”
An SNP spokesperson said: “It would be inappropriate to comment on a police inquiry.”
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