Council calls on Sidmouth's MP to get answers from Conservative party about John Humphreys scandal

East Devon District Council (EDDC) has written to Simon Jupp MP to raise its concerns about John Humphreys.

The councillors passed the motion to write to Jupp at a recent full council meeting.

It expressed their disappointment that the Conservative party permitted John Humphreys to hold prominent roles as a local politician for more than four years after his arrest for serious sexual offences against two boys in May 2016.

Mr Humphreys was subsequently convicted and imprisoned for 21 years in August 2021.

Despite being under police investigation, Mr Humphreys was able to:

(A) stand as a Conservative candidate for election for Exmouth Town Council (May 2019) and remain an Exmouth town councillor representing the Conservative party until August 2020

(B) continue being a Conservative district councillor until May 2019

(C) campaign in the town, district and parliamentary elections for the Conservative party (May and December 2019)

(D) be nominated by the Conservative party for the award of alderman which he received from East Devon District Council in December 2019.

The council stated that in the eleven months since Mr Humphreys was convicted of sexual offences the Conservative party, at a local and national level, has refused to explain why he was allowed to continue to hold these positions.

Mr Humphreys was even nominated as an alderman (a title for a member of a parish or party, often elderly, long-standing or high-ranking) whilst the police were investigating his behaviour.

The council stated: "In the interests of the safety and wellbeing of children in the district this council calls on Simon Jupp, MP to obtain from the relevant part of the Conservative party an urgent explanation as to what went wrong with the Conservative party's vetting and safeguarding processes in East Devon and provide reassurance that these issues have now been addressed and resolved."

Simon Jupp, MP for East Devon, said in response: "My thoughts remain with the victims of John Humphreys. I was completely unaware of his abhorrent crimes which took place years before I was the MP, for which he is rightly in prison.

"I have shared the letter from East Devon councillors with the relevant persons and note that Devon County Council is holding an independent inquiry into safeguarding procedures."