John Deasy was an Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 nationalist

Irish nationalism

Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...

 politician whose career ended in scandal after nine years as a Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 (MP).

Political career

He was first elected to the United Kingdom House of Commons as an Irish Parliamentary Party

Irish Parliamentary Party

The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons at...

 (IPP) MP for Cork City

Cork City (UK Parliament constituency)

Cork City was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1880 to 1922 it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...

, taking the seat at a by-election

By-election

A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....

 on 23 February 1884 after the resignation of John Daly

John Daly (MP)

John Daly was an Irish Nationalist politician. He was elected to the United Kingdom House of Commons as a Home Rule League Member of Parliament for Cork City at the 1880 general election, and joined the new Irish Parliamentary Party in 1882. He resigned his seat on 11 February 1884 by becoming...

.

At the 1885 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1885

-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...

 he stood in the new West Mayo

West Mayo (UK Parliament constituency)

West Mayo was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 to 1922....

 constituency, winning the seat by an overwhelming majority (of 4790 to 131 votes) over his sole opponent, a candidate of the Irish Conservative Party

Irish Conservative Party

The Irish Conservative Party, often called the Irish Tories, was one of the dominant Irish political parties in Ireland in the 19th century...

. He was re-elected unopposed in 1886

United Kingdom general election, 1886

-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the UK general election, 1886*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...

, and after joining the Anti-Parnell

Parnell

Parnell may refer to:People* Bobby Parnell, a baseball pitcher for the New York Mets* Charles Stewart Parnell , Irish politician* Chris Parnell, actor and comedian* Lee Roy Parnell, country & western singer...

ite Irish National Federation

Irish National Federation

The Irish National Federation was a nationalist political party in Ireland. It was founded in March 1891 by former members of the Irish National League who had left the Irish Parliamentary Party in protest when Charles Stewart Parnell refused to resign the party leadership as a result of his...

 when the IPP split 1891, he was returned as an Anti-Parnellite with a huge majority at the 1892 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1892

The 1892 United Kingdom general election was held from 4 July to 26 July 1892. It saw the Conservatives, led by Lord Salisbury, win the greatest number of seats, but not enough for an overall majority as William Ewart Gladstone's Liberals won many more seats than in the 1886 general election...

.

Downfall

Deasy's career ended in scandal. In July 1893, he was tried at the London County Sessions, on a charge of indecent assault

Indecent assault

Indecent assault is an offence of aggravated assault in many jurisdictions. It is characterised as a sex crime.Indecent assault was an offence in England and Wales under sections 14 and 15 the Sexual Offences Act 1956...

 against Ellen Lewis, a teenage servant employed at his London lodgings in 75, Warwick-street. Lewis testified that Deasy had pulled her onto the bed and tried to kiss her, but was interrupted by her employer, Mrs Kate Edith Postlethwaite (the landlady, who also gave evidence). Deasy told the court that Lewis had tripped and fallen onto the bed, and that he was helping her get up, but had offered to kiss her. Evidence of Deasy's character was offered by two MPs (Sir Thomas Grattan Esmonde

Sir Thomas Esmonde, 11th Baronet

Sir Thomas Henry Grattan Esmonde, 11th Baronet, was an Irish Home Rule nationalist politician.Esmonde was elected Irish Parliamentary Party MP for the constituencies South Dublin 1885–1892, West Kerry 1892–1900 and North Wexford 1900–1918 in the House of Commons of the United...

 and Justin McCarthy), and by Sir George Penrose, the former High Sheriff and Lord Mayor of Cork

Lord Mayor of Cork

The Lord Mayor of Cork is the honorific title of the Chairman of Cork City Council which is the local government body for the city of Cork in Ireland. The incumbent is Terry Shannon of Fianna Fáil. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the Council.-History of office:In 1199 there...

. The jury found Deasy not guilty of indecent assault, but guilty of common assault

Common assault

Common assault was an offence under the common law of England, and has been held now to be a statutory offence in England and Wales. It is committed by a person who causes another person to apprehend the immediate use of unlawful violence by the defendant. It was thought to include battery...

. He was ordered to pay a fine of £25 and costs.

On 17 July 1893, a few days after the completion of his trial, Deasy resigned his seat

Resignation from the British House of Commons

Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...

 by becoming Steward of the Manor of Northstead. He died of tuberculosis in February 1896, aged only 39.

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