Sophie sacks sex friend fiend

"Well you told me to go out and grab 'em!"

Witnesses described “Benny Hill-style” antics as Mr Scrinis approached them with his hands extended, asking permission to touch their breasts ~ The Australian

Our local Federal Member for Indi, Sophie Mirabella (Liberal) seems to have a problem in getting good staff, even when they’re apparently a ’family friend’.

This time she’s accepted the resignation of her newly appointed media adviser Anthony Scrinis, a real whack-job and ‘nice guy’, who she drafted from Port Melbourne to replace the last one who also left under a bit of a cloud (something about doing something in a stationery cupboard, I believe).

But Scrinis is a real piece of work. The allegations against him include groping women’s breasts & lewd behaviour at Wednesday night’s parliamentary press gallery’s Mid-Winter Ball in Canberra, attended by a who’s who of parliament including PM Kevin Rudd, Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull and their respective spouses.

According to The Australian, Scrinis is “accused of fondling women on the breasts and making lewd suggestions to more than 10 female guests at the ball. He also heckled the entertainment, which included the TV comedienne Effie.”

He’s also alleged to have questioned guests about their sexuality, extramarital relationships and “deviant sexual activity”, and to have generally carried on like a real goose. The Age reports  that Scrinis “appeared to be in either exceptionally high spirits or under the influence of alcohol”:

Witnesses say at one point during the evening he burst in on a private conversation between Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull and ball guests in which he boasted in a loud voice about “hot babes” in the Liberal Party, and made exaggerated gestures … His loud and erratic behaviour at the function was noted by some of the entertainers onstage during the night.

One unsettled Canberra journalist … told The Age Mr Scrinis had inquired whether he participated in deviant sexual activity. Senior press gallery journalist Karen Middleton … (said) she had received a formal complaint from two guests who said “they’d had their breasts grabbed” by Mr Scrinis.

It’s pretty embarrassing for Mirabella who, ironically, is the Opposition spokesperson on women’s affairs. She can sure pick ‘em.

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