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LONDON (AP) — The former deputy speaker of Britain's House of Commons has demanded that prosecutors pay his extensive legal fees after he was cleared of rape and sex assault charges.
Nigel Evans told The Mail on Sunday that the case has destroyed his reputation and left him in financial ruin. He said the 130,000-pound ($217,000) legal fee used up his life savings.
Prosecutors alleged the 56-year-old lawmaker used his political position to sexually assault seven young men between 2002 and 2013, some of them inside the Houses of Parliament.
Evans told the newspaper it was unfair that his accusers had been allowed to remain anonymous while he was publicly accused of crimes he didn't commit. He plans to stay in Parliament, but isn't seeking to become deputy speaker again.
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