A convicted sex offender who filmed a naked woman while she was unconscious is standing in the Hartlepool by election next month
Christopher Killick, 42, was convicted of voyeruism last year after filming an unconscious woman who was naked in her hotel room without permission in 2015.
The victim fought for five years for Killick to be charged, after prosecutors initially said he had not done anything illegal.
Killick was given a £2,000 fine, given a 30 month community order, and was listed on the sex offenders register for five years; he will remain on the register until 2025.
It has been little more than 12 months since his sentence, and Killick only moved from North London to Hartlepool weeks ago.
"I've always maintained that it was a big mistake and I want to say I'm sorry that she's had to go through such a long process in order to get this conviction," he said.
His victim also claimed she had been drugged and raped by him after waking up in the hotel room without any knowledge of how she got there - but police dropped the rape charges due to lack of evidence.
Killick is running as an independent candidate, meaning he is not affiliated with a political party.
On why he's decided to run as an MP, Killick described it in some part as "an experiment."
"I'm doing an experiment to see how much publicity I can get.
"Not by speaking about the offence I committed, but by speaking about the stuff I really care about.
"The question is now whether I'll be tolerated."
At present, there are no rules to prohibit convicted sex offenders running for office, however an individual can be ruled out for other reasons, such as declaring bankruptcy.
The byelection, which is due to happen at the start of May, was triggered after a Labour MP for Hartlepool Mike Hill resigned following allegations of "sexual harassment and victimisation."
Hill denies these allegations.
Located in "the Red Wall", the byelection is being hotly anticipated by politicians and political pundits alike, as its being seen as a litmus test on Keir Starmer and Boris Johnson's leadership.
It was previously unthinkable that Hartlepool with flip to the Conservatives, but recent polling shows the race is becoming very close.
