The Conservative ex-MP Charlie Elphicke is facing jail after being found guilty of three counts of sexual assault against two women in a verdict that prompted his wife – who represents his former constituency – to announce the end of their marriage. The father of two, who represented the Kent constituency of Dover from 2010 until last year, had denied the three charges, two in relation to a parliamentary worker in 2016 and one in relation to a woman at his family’s central London home in 2007. He lost the Tory whip in 2017 when the allegations were referred to the police, but was reinstated in December 2018 before a vote of confidence in the then prime minister, Theresa May. Elphicke, who will be sentenced on 15 September, sighed and looked at his lawyer as the unanimous verdicts were returned. The judge, Mrs Justice Whipple, said: “All options remain very much on the table, including the possibility of an immediate custodial sentence.” Giving evidence at his trial last Monday at Southwark crown court, Elphicke admitted not telling police the truth when they asked him about one of the women he was accused of sexually assaulting, saying he feared it would destroy his marriage. He also said he tried to keep his affair with another woman secret from his wife, Natalie, because he did not think his marriage would survive. The woman was not one of the complainants in the trial. His wife, who ran for office and became the Conservative MP for Dover after her husband did not stand in 2019, held his hand and accompanied him to the trial on some of the days it was heard, but left the court alone half an hour after the verdict was returned. She posted a tweet saying: “Today’s verdict is one that brings profound sorrow. It ends my 25 year marriage to the only man I have ever loved. I would ask for some personal space and time to come to terms with the shocking events of the last 3 years.” Meanwhile, the Conservative party faced questions over its handling of Elphicke, with political opponents and campaigners pointing out that the party knew about the allegations against him for a year before suspending and then reinstating him while he was under investigation by the police. Eljai Morais, a survivor of domestic abuse who stood for the Women’s Equality party (WEP) last year in Elphicke’s former constituency, said: “This verdict sends the message loud and clear that powerful men can no longer expect to avoid real consequences when they commit sex crimes, no matter how influential and well-connected they might be.” But she criticised the fact that no rules prevent candidates from standing for election while they are on trial. If Elphicke were still an MP, he could not be recalled from parliament by his constituents, despite his conviction for sexual assault. Sarah Baxter, the former Sunday Times deputy editor, said: “Ex-MP Charlie Elphicke put two brave women through hell and helped install his wife in his Dover seat. Until lockdown he’d also been meeting his mates at the Commons as if nothing had happened. Shameful behaviour. He’s guilty as sin.” Both of the women who had accused Elphicke gave evidence during the trial. One of them, speaking via a video link, said she had feared for her safety and locked herself in a room when Elphicke ran after her and tried to smack her bottom following the assault in 2007, jurors heard on the first day of the trial. She said that he had chased her down the stairs at his London home, chanting: “I’m a naughty Tory.” The other woman, who was a young parliamentary worker at the time of the assaults against her, wept as she gave evidence. The court heard that he had accused her of misleading him about her romantic intentions after she spurned his advances. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said after the verdict that Elphicke “had abused his power and influence over these women to make unwanted and forceful sexual advances towards them”. “The assaults have had a profound impact on these women – who feared for their careers if they reported him,” said Natalie Dawson, CPS specialist prosecutor, who added that their courage and strength demonstrated that offenders like Elphicke could be brought to justice. “I hope these convictions today give other victims the confidence to report sexual abuse, no matter how powerful their abuser,” she said. Evidence was also given by the former Conservative deputy chief whip, Anne Milton, who told the court that the young woman had been “acutely aware that if she made a formal complaint she would never get another job in parliament because of gossip”. Milton was put in touch with the woman by another Tory MP at the time, Margot James. Milton interviewed Elphicke alongside the then chief whip, Julian Smith, and ultimately called Scotland Yard.