A former MP who was arrested on suspicion of a child sex offence has had his police bail extended again – this time for a month.
Ivor Caplin, the former Labour MP for Hove, was arrested by Hove railway station on Saturday 11 January after a sting by paedophile hunters.
The sting was filmed, with a live-stream on Facebook and further footage of the arrest shared online.
Today (Tuesday 10 June), Sussex Police said: “A 66-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of engaging in online sexual communications with a child on Saturday 11 January has had his bail extended until Wednesday 9 July while further inquiries are carried out.”
Mr Caplin was initially kept in for questioning overnight, then released on police bail until Thursday 10 April when his bail was extended for two months – until today.
A second man was arrested in January in relation to the same sting. He was released on police bail until Friday 11 April. He was told that he would not face any charges.
In April, Sussex Police said: “A 40-year-old man who was also arrested on suspicion of engaging in online sexual communications with a child on Saturday 11 January has now been released without further action.”
Mr Caplin was the MP for Hove from 1997 to 2005 and served as a government whip and junior defence minister.
He is understood to deny any wrongdoing.
