*Bizarre* British deputy speaker of parliament (55) arrested for raping another man

A deputy speaker of Britain's lower house of Parliament was arrested
Saturday on suspicion of raping one man and sexually assaulting
another, according to media reports.
Nigel Evans, a lawmaker in Prime Minister David Cameron's Conservative
Party, was reportedly questioned over the alleged attacks on two men
in their 20s.
Evans, 55, represents the Ribble Valley constituency in Lancashire,
northwest England, and is one of the three deputy speakers of the
House of Commons.
"A 55-year-old man from Pendleton in Lancashire has today, Saturday, .
. . been arrested by Lancashire Constabulary on suspicion of rape and
sexual assault," the local police force said in a statement.
A spokes woman for the force later said the suspect had been released
on bail until June 19.
Police said the alleged attacks took place in the village of
Pendleton, where Evans lives, between July 2009 and March 2013.
Cameron has reportedly been informed of the arrest.
Evans revealed he was gay in 2010, eight years after he was elected to
Parliament, saying he was "tired of living a lie." He is a popular
figure in London's Westminster political hub, well-liked by lawmakers
across the political spectrum.
His arrest stunned fellow Conservatives. "Everybody's completely
shell-shocked," Michael Ranson, chairman of the Ribble Valley
Conservative Association, told Sky News television. "He is a very
popular MP (member of Parliament)."
Brian Binley, a Conservative lawmaker and a friend of Evans, said: "I
was just deeply disturbed and shocked. I consider him to be a very
good friend. I know him to be caring, compassionate and in no way
would he inflict himself violently on any other person."
As a deputy speaker, Evans has the authority to stand in for the
speaker of Parliament, who is tasked with keeping order during
debates.
The Welsh lawmaker also served as a vice chairman of the Conservative
Party between 1999 and 2001, and was its spokesman on affairs
pertaining to Wales for two years after that.
When he came out of the closed in 2010, Evans claimed that political
opponents had threatened to reveal his secret.
"I could not afford it to be used as leverage against me. I couldn't
take the risk. I don't want any other MP to face that kind of
nastiness again," he told The Mail on Sunday newspaper. "I am sure
there are other gay MPs who would like to be open about their
sexuality but are fearful of the consequences."