Liberal MP Taylor Martin learns his fate after investigation into vile text ... trends now
Taylor Martin has been expelled from the Liberal Party following an eight-month investigation into expletive-laden, abusive text messages he sent former lover Lucy Wicks.
The NSW Upper House member has been sitting as an independent for the duration of the investigation, after Ms Wicks, the former federal member for Robertson, lodged a complaint accusing him of vile conduct.
Mr Martin publicly apologised for a series of text messages in which he described her as ‘f**t’.
In the messages, which he admitted were 'ugly', Mr Martin called Ms Wicks a 'f***ing idiot', a 'dumb s***', a 'sicko', an 'absolute c*** of a person' and a 'f***ing pig ignorant b***h'.
Daily Mail Australia revealed in March that Mr Martin was still being welcomed at crucial Liberal state council meetings, where his vote was still counted in the factional in-fighting over whether to expel his ally, Alex Hawke.
On Friday night, the NSW state director of the Liberal Party revealed Mr Martin had been expelled.
The fresh blow comes months after Mr Martin's new wife Brittany walked out on their marriage.
Taylor Martin (left) has been expelled over vile messages sent to his former lover Lucy Wicks (right)
‘The NSW Liberal Party has received the independent investigation report concerning a confidential complaint against the Hon Taylor Martin MLC,' the statement read.
‘On the basis of the report’s findings, the NSW Liberal Party State Director acted quickly and decisively… to expel Mr Martin as a member.
‘The NSW Liberal Party expects the highest standards of behaviour of its members and elected representatives and will continue to strive to ensure those standards are consistently upheld.’
A friend of Ms Wicks told Daily Mail Australia on Friday night that she was still coming to terms with the shock announcement.
‘There was some initial shock, and anger that it took almost 10 months just to find that she’d told the truth,’ the woman said.
‘Lucy’s taking some time, but she’s glad the investigation is over.’
NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman said that he supported the state director’s decision made after a lengthy, independent investigation.
'Mr Martin is therefore no longer a member of the Parliamentary Liberal Party,' he said.
'I expect, and the public are entitled to expect, the highest standards of behaviour by MPs.’
One Liberal branch member, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said it was ‘about time there was an outcome’, and indicated there had been murmurs in the party that officials were ‘dragging their feet’.
‘I’m not sure they wanted the investigation to finish at all.’
It is understood the complaint extended well beyond the information made publicly available at the time, including pages upon pages of further text messages.
The Liberal Party has no intention of releasing the report or findings, citing confidentiality reasons.
Ms Wicks was outed without her consent as the complainant.
Taylor Martin MLC was stood down from the NSW Liberal parliamentary party room back in July amid uproar over text messages he sent to former MP Lucy Wicks
NSW Member of the Legislative Council Taylor Martin married his girlfriend Brittany in a luxurious ceremony at the Grounds of Alexandria in December before she walked out on him weeks later
Mr Martin was spotted among the hundreds of Liberal branch members attending the state council meeting in the Grand Ballroom of Sydney's Fullerton Hotel on February 24
Mr Martin’s marriage recently ended in tense circumstances. Police responded to a disturbance at the house Mr Martin and his wife of just eight weeks Brittany shared on the Central Coast.
Mr Martin recently stood aside from the parliamentary party room when a barrage of 'ugly' text messages he sent his former girlfriend describing her as a 'f***ing idiot' and a 'dumb sl*t' were publicly exposed.
