A constituent has been charged with stalking his local MP, the Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey.
Inigo Rowland, 58, stands accused of stalking during a period of over four months this summer.
He was arrested last week on suspicion of stalking and possession of a flick knife, and appeared in court on October 7.
Sir Ed lives in southwest London with his wife and two children, John, 17, and younger sibling Ellie. He represents Kingston and Surbiton.
A source told the Sun that the alleged stalker had turned up to his constituency office, as well as outside his home.
They said: ‘This has been a traumatic ordeal for Sir Ed and his family. The man seems to have got fixated.
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‘This is normally the sort of thing that happens to celebrities and pop stars.
‘They just hope it is all over and they can move on with their lives.
‘It has been deeply troubling and Sir Ed has had all this in the background, while leading his party.’
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: ‘Inigo Rowland, 58, of Surbiton has been charged with stalking and possession of a flick knife.
‘He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 7 October and was remanded into custody.
‘He will next appear at the same court on Tuesday, 14 October.
‘He was arrested on Monday, 6 October in relation to the offences, which are alleged to have taken place between June and October.’
A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said: ‘We cannot provide any details at this time, Ed’s number one priority is the safety of his family.’
Ed Davey is more frequently in the headlines for his frequent stunts such as trying out surfing, hurling himself down a giant Slip ‘N Slide or dangling from a bungee, something our columnist last month saw as a strategy to ‘inject joy’ into politics.
Pablo O’Hana wrote: ‘He has spoken before about caring for his mum as a teenager when she was dying of cancer, and later raising a disabled son. For him, joy isn’t denial, its survival – magnifying moments of happiness even in difficult circumstances.’
The Liberal Democrats held their annual conference at the end of September, when Sir Ed gave a keynote speech suggesting Farage would roll back gun laws to the point where British children need to do mass shooting drills at school.
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