PORTSMOUTH South MP Mike Hancock has strongly denied allegations he sexually assaulted a vulnerable constituent.
Mr Hancock is being sued by the single mother, who has accused him in high court papers of forming an inappropriate relationship with her.
The Lib Dem MP is accused of subjecting the woman, who is from Portsmouth, to upsetting sexual treatment over the course of ten months after she approached him for help with a neighbourhood dispute.
He also kissed her on several occasions without her consent, it is alleged in high court papers.
Mr Hancock told The News: ‘The allegations reported this week have been investigated by the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Parliamentary authority.
‘On each previous occasion the authorities have decided to take no further action.
‘My solicitors will deal robustly in the courts with this claim.
‘In the meantime I will not make any further comment because I am recovering 
from serious illness and my surgery.
‘I will continue to do the best for my constituents here in Portsmouth.
‘I have not had any papers served on me – nothing.
‘All I know is what a reporter told me early on Friday morning.
‘It’s an old allegation, over three years ago.’
Court papers seen by The News say the woman asked Mr Hancock for assistance in November 2009.
The single mother, who has a diagnosed mental illness and cannot be named for legal reasons, is claiming up to £50,000 in damages.
She alleges she suffered a personal injury as a result of the MP’s treatment of her.
Mr Hancock’s actions amount to harassment, assault and misfeasance in public office, according to the court papers.
The leader of Portsmouth City Council, Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, said: ‘Everybody who knows Mike will tell you he is an incredibly strong voice for Portsmouth and has been for many years.’
The papers were filed with the Royal Courts of Justice in London on January 30.
Harriet Wistrich, the complainant’s solicitor from the firm Birnberg Peirce, said: ‘I have looked carefully at the evidence and I think there are ways to proving the allegations.’