predecessor successor birth_place nationality party office birth_date term_start birthname article_title term_end name
peter griffiths sarah mccarthy-fry isle of wight , england , uk english labour member of parliament for portsmouth north 17 april 1942 2 may 1997 sydney norman john rapson syd rapson
 11 april 2005 syd rapson
syd rapson

sydney norman john rapson -lrb- born 17 april 1942 , isle of wight -rrb- is a former politician in the united kingdom .
he moved with his family to the paulsgrove area of portsmouth as a young child , where he attended paulsgrove modern -lrb- now king richard school -rrb- .
after leaving school he worked in the aeronautical industry for nearly forty years until becoming labour member of parliament -lrb- mp -rrb- for portsmouth north from 1997 until he stood down at the 2005 general election .
a former long serving councillor , he was succeeded by sarah mccarthy-fry mp .
he has two children and has four grandchildren .
he had stronger trade union credentials than many of the 1997 intake , having spent many years as an amalgamated engineering and electrical union activist and convener , which also gave him the strong interest in defence , the hallmark of his parliamentary career .
he joined the commons defence select committee after the 2001 election .
he generally maintained a low profile around parliament ; he rarely contributed to debates and sat for four years on the low-key accommodation and works committee .
rapson appeared in the controversial tv programme `` brass eye '' , in which he was duped into presenting a segment on `` trust-me trousers '' , supposedly worn by paedophiles and inflated to hide an erection .
rapson was also recorded stating : `` using an area of the internet the size of ireland , paedophiles can make your keyboard release toxic vapours that can make you more suggestible '' .
