Suspended Labour MP, Mike Amesbury, has been sentenced to 10 weeks in jail after pleading guilty to assaulting a man in his Cheshire constituency.
Amesbury, 55, who now sits as an independent MP for Runcorn and Helsby, admitted to attacking 45-year-old Paul Fellows, knocking him to the ground in an incident captured on video.
The altercation took place in the early hours of 26 October in Frodsham, Cheshire, leading to Amesbury’s suspension from the Labour Party.
At Chester Magistrates’ Court, Deputy Chief Magistrate Tan Ikram described Amesbury’s actions as the result of “anger and loss of emotional control.”
The court heard that Amesbury continued to strike Fellows after he was on the ground, with the magistrate emphasising, “I have to say that I have seen a single punch to the head cause fatal injuries, but note the limited injuries in this case.”
He added that Amesbury’s continued aggression made the offence more serious, noting that “it may have continued further had a bystander not intervened.”
In sentencing, Mr Ikram said an immediate custodial sentence was “necessary both as a punishment and a deterrent,” acknowledging that the assault was an isolated incident in an otherwise “unblemished career.”
However, he stressed that “unprovoked drunken behaviour is too serious to be dealt with unpaid work” and noted that Amesbury was only stopped “by members of the public.”
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Amesbury was taken directly to the cells after his application for bail pending an appeal was denied. His legal representative, Richard Derby, asked the magistrate whether the sentence was immediate, to which Mr Ikram responded with a simple “Yes” before leaving the courtroom. When Derby later attempted to apply for bail, Mr Ikram returned to court briefly and stated, “Application refused.”
In addition to his jail term, Amesbury was ordered to pay £200 in compensation to Fellows, along with £85 in costs and a £154 surcharge.
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