Dowling has been caught texting explicit photographs to his secret ex-lover. File photo / Getty Images
In a scandal that gives a new meaning to the phrase "coq au vin", a Queensland state MP, Peter Dowling, has been caught texting explicit photographs to his secret ex-lover, including one showing his penis in a glass of red wine.
Dowling, married for 27 years, and with two children,
stepped down yesterday as chairman of the parliamentary ethics committee. As well as sending the texts - which his ex-lover, identified only as "Roslyn", sent on to the Speaker, Fiona Simpson - he is accused of using official trips to Perth and New Zealand for clandestine assignations.
According to the Courier-Mail, which has seen the photographs, they include a close-up of Dowling's crotch in tight boxer shorts and a full-frontal shot of his genitalia. The one involving alcohol was accompanied by a text stating: "He wanted a Red Wine ..." Another picture shows the 50-year-old smiling and holding the wine glass aloft.
In a mea culpa to state Parliament on Tuesday, Dowling - who describes himself on his website as a keen sportsman and "self-confessed petrol-head" - said: "I am not proud of the events plastered all over today's paper ... To my children, mum, brother and sister, my extended family and friends, I am sorry for the shame and embarrassment that I have caused you."
Roslyn told the Courier-Mail that the pair frequently used his electorate office and a bedsit in the parliamentary annexe for sex during their 2-year affair. She said the liaison recently ended, after they received anonymous letters and Dowling was warned by senior party figures and a federal MP.
