Jamie Wallis, MP

Jamie Wallis, a male who identifies as transgender, was convicted at Cardiff magistrates court in July 2022 of failing to stop and report an accident after crashing his car in the early hours of 28 November, 2021.

Wallis, 38 and Conservative MP for Bridgend in Wales, was also found guilty of leaving his car in a dangerous position, but cleared of driving without due care and attention. He was fined £2,500, disqualified from driving for six months and ordered to pay additional costs of £620 and a victim surcharge of £190 within 14 days.

Wallis denied the charges but the senior district judge Tan Ikram said he had not found Wallis credible. The judge said, “When I watched him give evidence it seemed to me not only was he fitting his own behaviour around the behaviour of PTSD, and his actions on the night does not suggest he was overwhelmed and acting out of fear that night.” “Having PTSD is not a defence. What the prosecution have proved to me he was able to make decisions that night – he made bad decisions.” The judge added: “If your judgment is impaired, as your lawyer suggests, some may wonder why you are driving at all.”

Local newspaper, the South Wales Argus reports that Wallis told the court he left the scene of where he had crashed his Mercedes E-Class into a telegraph pole out of fear he would be “raped, killed or kidnapped” and attributed this fear to PTSD which he developed after being raped during a hook-up with a man he’d met online. A witness, however, reported he observed the driver as “a white male wearing a white long-sleeve top which was tight to the body, a black leather PVC mini-skirt, tights, dark shoes with a high heel and a pearl necklace” who was making phone calls at the scene. When the witness said he was going to call the police, Wallis began walking away and was then picked up by his father in a Land Rover within minutes.

The telegraph pole was so badly damaged that local residents were without internet for several days. Under cross examination, Wallis’ claim that he swerved to avoid a cat was challenged – “You have seen the damage to the telegraph pole and both airbags have discharged. That’s not a low-speed collision?” When officers arrested him the next day at his “absolutely colossal” mansion on suspicion of driving whilst unfit, Wallis claimed he’d not reported the accident to police when in the safety of his home, as required, because he’d taken medication and fallen asleep. However, analysis of his mobile phone showed he made a number of calls and text messages to his estranged wife.

A list of further controversies surrounding Jamie Wallis:

  • Sugar-daddy.net: Wallis stated on record to BuzzFeed News he had never “had a financial interest” in the company that owned Sugar-daddy.net. However, Companies House records utterly contradict this. The (now defunct) website offered students financial “relationships” with wealthy “sponsors” – ie exploitation of financially insecure young women by wealthy older men. See Buzzfeed report
  • Trading Standards complaints: a group of companies linked to Wallis were subject to more than 800 complaints to trading standards between January 2008 and February 2017. See Wales Online report
  • Exploitation of overseas workers: An outsourcing company owned by Wallis paid staff in Thailand the equivalent of just £2.49-an-hour. It also offered higher salaries for “native English speakers” and advertised for “female-only” applicants. See Buzzfeed report
  • MoJ Claims Management Regulator investigation: In 2011, the Ministry of Justice blocked Wallis’ firm Action Direct (which represented people making claims at employment tribunals) from taking on new clients. One customer complained to the press about receiving a £400 bill despite no work being done. See Buzzfeed report
  • Previous driving offence: In February 2022 Wallis admitted to failing to comply with solid white line road markings on the A48 in August, 2021. He was ordered to pay a £146 fine, a £34 victim surcharge and costs of £90. See Wales Online report
  • Delinquent town councillor: Wallis was “excused” from Pencoed council after it emerged that he had not attended any meetings for a period of six months. He claimed he had sent a resignation letter to the council when he moved from Pencoed to Cowbridge
  • Blackmail plot: In his announcement that he wants to be transgender, Wallis states that someone “outed me to my father and sent photographs to other family members. He wanted £50,000 to keep quiet.” The man apparently pled guilty and was sentenced to 2yrs and 9 months in prison.
  • Astrobiology/”Panspermia” PhD: While running a large number of companies, Wallis also managed to complete a PhD (and author 21 papers in mostly non-peer reviewed journals) under the supervision of NC Wickaramsinghe, who theorises that life on earth originated from comets. This theory is widely rejected by the scientific community. See Private Eye report

Other examples of trans-identified males who were crossdressing while committing offences are available under this tag

Other examples of trans-identified male politicians who have been investigated and/or convicted of offences in the UK are available under this tag

Photo credit (Jamie Wallis arriving at Cardiff magistrates court): Ben Birchall/PA via The Guardian

*Update November 2023*

In November 2022, Wallis was appointed to the House of Commons Select Committee on Women & Equalities whose remit is to hold the Government to account on equality law and policy. The Committee Chair, Caroline Nokes MP, has recently repeated the absurd notion that people can be born in the wrong body – a position even Mermaids (currently under investigation by the Charity Commission) has abandoned.

Media reports

BBC Jamie Wallis: MP found guilty of driving offences https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-62118964 archive

BBC Jamie Wallis: Bridgend MP charged over car crash https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-61256972 archive

BBC Jamie Wallis MP comes out as trans and speaks of rape ordeal https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-60925885 archive

BBC Jamie Wallis: Bridgend MP ‘misled press’ over sugar daddy site https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-51121235 archive

The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/11/tory-mp-jamie-wallis-banned-driving-failing-stop-crash archive

Spiked https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/03/31/the-beatification-of-jamie-wallis/ archive

South Wales Argus https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/20270621.bridgend-mp-jamie-wallis-wearing-leather-mini-skirt-high-heels-road-crash-court-told/ archive

South Wales Argus https://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/national/20271638.mp-jamie-wallis-banned-driving-fleeing-crash-scene/ archive

Buzzfeed https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/jamie-wallis-co-owned-sugar-daddy-website archive

Buzzfeed https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/jamie-wallis-conservative-mp-outsource-jobs-thailand archive

Buzzfeed https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/jamie-wallis-trading-standards archive

Wales Online https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/bridgend-mp-jamie-wallis-fined-23113046 archive

Wales Online https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/bridgend-conservative-mps-data-companies-17543043 archive

Nation Cymru: https://nation.cymru/news/tory-mp-jamie-wallis-handed-fine-for-road-traffic-offence/ archive

Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10670471/A-PHD-astrobiology-links-sugar-daddy-website-Tory-transgender-MPs-career-controversies.html archive

Daily Mail https://www.mailplus.co.uk/edition/news/crime/155251/tory-mp-jamie-wallis-fined-after-car-crash-leaves-locals-without-internet archive

Statement from Jamie Wallis MP https://www.jamiewallisbridgend.com/news/statement-from-jamie-wallis-mp-30th-march-2022 archive