Memory of trysts damns former MP Thomson

Former MP Craig Thomson spent more than $5500 of his employer's money on prostitutes while he was the national secretary of the Health Services Union.

When meeting with Misty the prostitute, Craig Thomson would welcome her to his room with a glass of champagne.

After they were done, he would pay for more time so he could talk with her.

The details of Thomson's trysts with escorts would have remained secret had he not used his work-issued credit cards to pay them.

When it came time to justify his expenditure, Thomson told the Health Services Union he had spent the money on meetings, entertainment and teleconferencing.

But when he resigned as national secretary to become a Labor MP, an exit audit was conducted and the true nature of his expenses started to emerge.

And Misty remembered him.

She told police she met with Thomson on at least six occasions, and recognised him when she saw him on television denying that he had done anything wrong.

"He is lying," she said in a sworn statement.

"I am in no doubt that the Craig I performed a number of sexual services for over a period of time is Craig Thomson the politician."

Thomson has now been found guilty of six charges of obtaining financial advantage by deception after spending more than $5500 on escorts.

On one occasion, he used the alias "Jeff Thomson" to book an escort named Tracie to his Sydney hotel room in 2003, at a cost of $200 to HSU members.

After a 2005 ALP conference Thomson used union money to catch a cab to a Sydney brothel named Tiffany's Girls.

Once there he used a union card to pay $418 for sexual services in the "Red Turbo Spa Room".


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Source: AAP

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