Warrington MP reveals rape ordeal during court reform debate

A Labour MP has spoken publicly for the first time about being raped as she accused Justice Secretary David Lammy of using crime victims as a "cudgel" to push through his reforms of the legal system. Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols waived her right of anonymity as she criticised the Courts and Tribunals Bill's plans to limit jury trials to cases with a likely prison sentence of three years or more. In a powerful Commons speech, she said she waited 1,088 days to go to court, with every day being "agony" and the "trauma" made worse by her role in public life. Nichols said her attacker was acquitted at crown court but subsequently ordered to pay compensation after she won a civil case against him. Lammy pleaded with Labour MPs to support his reforms, saying they would reduce a record backlog of crown court cases. MPs voted to allow the Bill to progress to the next stage in the Parliamentary process, despite Nichols and some other Labour MPs' opposition. It passed by 304 votes to 203, a majority of 101, with 10 Labour MPs rebelling against the government and dozens abstaining. Nichols said her public profile meant the "mental health consequences of my trauma were played out in pu