A British MP’s wife appeared before magistrates Thursday on charges she burgled the house of her husband’s lover and stole a kitten.
Christine Margaret Hemming, 52, wife of Birmingham Yardley MP John Hemming, was not required to enter a plea during a brief appearance at the city’s magistrates’ court. Magistrates committed her for crown court trial.
In what can only be called a cat burglary, Christine Hemming is alleged to have burgled the home of Emily Cox, a researcher with whom the MP fathered a child in 2005, on the night of September 29.
The fate of the cat was not clear, but a picture of the animal, apparently called Beauty, has been posted on John Hemming’s blog under the heading “kitten missing.”
The photograph is accompanied by a message reading, “If anyone has seen this kitten please contact me at the House of Commons. There is a reward for its return.”
Hemming, who describes his domestic status as “an unclear situation,” said, “I would just like the cat back.
“I have spent some time looking for the kitten and there is a reward for the safe return of the kitten.
“Her brother Twinkle is pining for her.”
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