Suspended Labour MP Mike Amesbury has been sentenced to 10 weeks in jail for assaulting a man during a confrontation over a local infrastructure issue. The 55-year-old MP for Runcorn and Helsby pleaded guilty in January to assault by beating 45-year-old Paul Fellows in the early hours of October 26 in Frodsham, Cheshire.
CCTV footage captured Amesbury punching Fellows to the ground at a taxi rank following a heated argument about the closure of the Sutton Weaver swing bridge. The video also showed Amesbury striking Fellows at least five more times while he lay on the floor, as bystanders rushed to intervene.
During sentencing on Monday, Deputy Senior District Judge Tan Ikram stated, “In this case, an immediate custodial sentence is, in my judgment, necessary as a punishment and a deterrent.” Amesbury is expected to serve 40 percent of his 10-week sentence behind bars.
The court heard that after the assault, Amesbury was restrained by others and was heard telling Fellows, “You won’t threaten your MP again, will you?” The victim sustained a head lump and an elbow graze from the attack.
Amesbury was suspended from the Labour Party two days after the incident when the footage circulated widely. He has since been sitting as an independent MP.
Outside court, he described the incident as “highly regrettable” and apologized to Fellows and his family.
Alison Storey, a senior specialist prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service’s special crime division, condemned the attack, stating, “This was a persistent assault by Mike Amesbury which continued while the victim was on the floor, offering no aggression.” She emphasized that Fellows was alone, not threatening or aggressive and that Amesbury continued striking him even after knocking him to the ground.
In addition to his jail sentence, Amesbury has been ordered to pay £200 in compensation to Fellows.
