""I will think about it on the day I die," former conservative MP Harvey Proctor says of all he has been through. He describes the experiences as "horrendous", adding: "They still have a detrimental effect on me"."
"Now 78, and turning 79 on 16 January, Harvey has had better years as of late, and he briefly brightens up as he shares that he and his partner of 52 years recently became civil partners. Their long relationship isn't widely known about. He admits he wanted to keep it out of media's grip - after all, there has been little in his life he has been able to keep private."
"Harvey represented Basildon in Essex from 1979 to 1983 and Billericay from 1983 to 1987. His parliamentary career ended in 1987 after he pleaded guilty to four acts of gross indecency. He claims publisher Robert Maxwell, who disagreed with his Conservative views on immigration, was the figure who sparked the media onslaught against him in a bid to force him out of parliament. Maxwell, father of Jeffrey Epstein's imprisoned right-hand woman Ghislaine Maxwell, died in 1991. "He regarded me being a homosexual as a weakness, and therefore used that to try and get rid of me," Harvey says. Maxwell's attempt to bring him down included sending a wired journalist to speak to Harvey at his flat. Harvey also claims that his phone was bugged. The conversations that emerged led him to pleading guilty to four counts of gross indecency, despite all of the relationships being consensual."
Harvey Proctor, aged 78 and due to turn 79 on 16 January, reports long-term harm from media scrutiny and homophobia. He served as MP for Basildon (1979–1983) and Billericay (1983–1987) and left Parliament in 1987 after pleading guilty to four acts of gross indecency. He attributes a media onslaught to publisher Robert Maxwell, who opposed his immigration views and allegedly used his sexuality to try to force him out. He recounts a wired journalist visit and alleges his phone was bugged, with conversations later used in proceedings despite relationships being consensual. He and his partner of 52 years recently became civil partners, and the partner provided long-term support.
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