Peterborough MP Fiona Onasanya promises to ‘share her take on your issues’ as she ‘continues legal fight’ to clear her name

MP for Peterborough Fiona Onasanya has promised to share her thoughts on her constituents’ issues after again vowing to continue the legal fight to clear her name.
Fiona Onasanya arrives at her home in Peterborough after being released from prison.  Picture by Terry Harris. THAFiona Onasanya arrives at her home in Peterborough after being released from prison.  Picture by Terry Harris. THA
Fiona Onasanya arrives at her home in Peterborough after being released from prison. Picture by Terry Harris. THA

The independent MP is currently subject to a Recall Petition which began on Tuesday.

If 10 per cent of her constituents (nearly 7,000 people) sign it before 5pm on Wednesday, May 1, she will lose her seat and a by-election will be called.

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The Recall Petition was automatically triggered after she was jailed for three months for perverting the course of justice.

Fiona Onasanya arrives at her home in Peterborough after being released from prison.  Picture by Terry Harris. THAFiona Onasanya arrives at her home in Peterborough after being released from prison.  Picture by Terry Harris. THA
Fiona Onasanya arrives at her home in Peterborough after being released from prison. Picture by Terry Harris. THA

The solicitor was found unanimously guilty after a re-trial at the Old Bailey of lying about who was driving her Nissan Micra when it was caught speeding in Thorney in July 2017.

She spent four weeks in prison and subsequently lost an appeal against her conviction.

Her brother Festus had pleaded guilty to three counts of perverting the course of justice - including the charge his sister was found guilty of.

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On Monday, the day before the Recall Petition opened, Ms Onasanya finally broke her silence on her conviction through a YouTube video which she posted on her Facebook account.

Pleading with voters to keep her in her job, the MP, sat in front of a backdrop of New York, said she could now tell her story “without media spin” and that she would “continue to pursue avenues to clear my name”.

She said she was now legally able to give her side of the story, although her video did not give any evidence proving her innocence.

Since posting that video the MP has posted three further times on her Facebook account quoting selectively from the judge in her retrial to try and support her claims she is innocent.

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The latest post came this morning (Saturday, March 23), where the MP also again promised to continue fighting her conviction and to begin commenting on her constituents’ issues once again.

She wrote: “I note the comment’s made about sharing parts of the Judge’s remarks - so the last I will share from the Judge is this: “I find your evidence that you failed to check properly what you had been doing on 24 July and that you passed the NIP (Notice of Intended Prosecution) to your mother’s home to be credible, supported as it is by your brother’s evidence....”

“I am continuing to pursue legal avenues to clear my name - this is why “my story” is limited, but I will say that the Judge also later acknowledged that I do not accept the correctness of the conviction - This is correct, I do not.

“From now on I will share my take on your issues.

“After all - as I am no longer whipped for red and I’m certainly not blue, the future votes are just for you!”

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The full comments of The Honourable Mr Justice Stuart Smith can be read here.

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