London - A former Olympic showjumper allegedly used pig’s blood to smear insults on the walls of a Tory peer’s home after their two-year affair broke down.
Lizzie Purbrick, 63, is accused of daubing offensive and explicit messages in Lord Prior of Brampton’s flat while he was out.
On his return, Lord Prior, also 63, called the police when he found almost nine pints of pig’s blood smeared across his £1million property in Kennington, south London, on May 9.
Purbrick was arrested and appeared in court this week, where she denied burglary with intent to commit unlawful damage.
Her lawyer, Simon Nicholls, told Camberwell Green magistrates’ court that the apartment was where the couple used to conduct their affair.
He added: ‘It is said she has gone to her ex-lover’s flat in London with two pints of pigs’ blood and daubed the walls with words and symbols.’
Purbrick corrected her lawyer outside the court for mistakenly saying she was alleged to have used two pints of pigs’ blood to paint ‘offensive and explicit’ words – rather than almost nine pints, or five litres.
The showjumper, of Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, will stand trial next month. It is understood that the peer will be giving evidence at the trial.
Lord Prior has two children with his wife of 31 years, Caroline, but it is understood that they separated some years ago. They are not thought to be divorced.
The Cambridge-educated peer was the MP for North Norfolk from 1997 to 2001, and a health minister in David Cameron’s government. He was appointed Parliamentary under Secretary of State at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in 2016.
Lord Prior, son of former cabinet minister Jim Prior, is a prominent Remainer and has rebelled against his own party to derail Brexit.
In March, he was among 19 Tories who voted to strip the PM of the ability to walk away without a deal. Last year, the former investment banker was savaged by Iain Duncan Smith after he told a private meeting that it would be ‘the softest of soft Brexits’.
In 2016 he urged Theresa May to fight hard to stay in the single market, adding: ‘My personal view is that leaving Europe was a terrible mistake.’
Purbrick was part of the Great Britain team at the Moscow Olympics in 1980. She won the coveted Armada Dish at 1984’s Badminton Horse Trials and competed at the World Championships in 1978 at Lexington, Kentucky.
After jumping in the 1980 Olympics, she was a member of the gold medal-winning team at the European Championships the following year. Purbrick is said to have retired from competing after being ousted by British equine bosses. She now coaches young riders and runs a small farm breeding horses. She also looks after a parrot sanctuary.