London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The ex-MP at the centre of the Westminster honeytrap scandal has disclosed that he considered suicide after he was revealed.
What Led William Wragg to Contemplate Suicide After the Honeytrap Scandal?
William Wragg, the ex-Tory MP, in April, confessed to handing over colleagues’ phone numbers to a man who reached him on Grindr after he had sent personal pictures of himself. Several MPs, members of their staff and political journalists were later transmitted flirtatious texts, and in several cases vivid photos, from senders with the aliases “Charlie” or “Abi”.
Mr Wragg resigned from the party whip after the scandal occurred, and the Metropolitan Police launched an inquiry into the perpetrators, who were thought to have targeted about 20 people. In his first interview since the ordeal, Mr Wragg stated that he felt “such guilt and horror” the night after the first report about the scandal was posted that he considered taking his own life.
What Does William Wragg’s Experience Reveal About the Emotional Toll of Scandal?
He said: “The night after the report was published, I didn’t get any rest. “I felt awful. Just an intense shame, but again, not understanding what had happened, or why, or what the rationale was behind what this person had done. And I felt such guilt and mess. “It got to almost 4.30 am and I was having very invasive thoughts. It wasn’t just like feeling down. It was more sinister than I’ve ever felt, to the period that I was thinking of the ways I could use to end it all.
How Has William Wragg Addressed the Guilt and Shame from the Westminster Scandal?
“I felt, ‘This is bad’. But there was just about adequately in me that stated, ‘Right, go to hospital’, and I’m so happy I did because that’s when I began getting the help that I needed.” Mr Wragg stated that he had written a letter of apology to the individuals whose numbers he gave to the ‘honey trapper’, which included Dr Luke Evans, the Tory MP for Hinckley and Bosworth. The ex-MP, who has earlier spoken out about suffering from anxiety and despair, said that “Charlie”, the person who reached him on Grindr, claimed he was in his mid-20s and performed for a cancer charity.
“He understood the sort of the lingo of the place and how it performed,” Mr Wragg said, and by the end of the first evening of speaking to each other, the pair had exchanged naked pictures. “Of course, for other people, there might be a feeling of squeamishness and pearl-clutching, but that’s for them. There was nothing about it that led to any feeling of alarm for me,” he said.