Ex-minister quizzed by UK police

The couple were released on police bail

LONDON, England -- A former government minister and his wife have been questioned by police over allegations of serious sexual assault.

Former Conservative member of parliament (MP) Neil Hamilton, who was at the centre of a "cash for questions" scandal in 1994, and his wife Christine have strongly denied the allegations.

Christine Hamilton, arrested and released without charge with her husband on Friday, told BBC radio on Saturday the claims were "nonsense on stilts," adding: "It's mind boggling that it's got this far."

She said she had never met the woman who made the allegations or been to the town where they were alleged to have to taken place.

After being questioned about the allegations at a police station in southern England on Friday, Neil Hamilton said: "We deny this fabrication absolutely categorically."

A police spokesman said the couple had not been charged with any offence and that they had been bailed to return to an unnamed police station pending further inquiries at a later date.

Christine Hamilton drew attention to the involvement of Max Clifford, a UK publicist employed by Harrods store boss Mohamed al Fayed, in the case.

Hamilton quit as a trade minister in the UK government in 1994 after being accused of accepting money from Al Fayed in return for asking parliamentary questions.

'Monstrous fabrication'

He then lost his parliamentary seat in the 1997 general election to journalist Martin Bell. In 1999 Hamilton lost a court case against Al Fayed, who Hamilton sued for libel over the "cash for questions" scandal.

Christine Hamilton said of the sexual assault allegations: "The whole thing is an absolute monstrous fabrication and a lie, and the fact that Max Clifford's name has been put to us by the police is of absolutely no surprise whatsoever."

Clifford, also speaking on the BBC, said the woman making the claims had approached him in May this year.

"She came to me with a story involving the Hamiltons which had gone on for some time but it wasn't a crime, and she wanted to go to the media," he said.

"A couple of days later after visiting me she phoned me to tell me that in her words she'd 'been raped'. I said 'you've got to go to the police', and that's what she did."

The alleged assault is said to have happened on May 5 this year, police said.