Disgraced MP Mike Amesbury arrives at courtroom in handcuffs to enchantment jail sentence for sucker-punching constituent
Disgraced MP Mike Amesbury has arrived at court in handcuffs where he will appeal his 10-week prison sentence for sucker-punching a constituent in the street.
The 55-year-old MP for Runcorn and Helsby was filmed striking constituent Paul Fellows, 45, after they had an argument by a taxi rank at 2am in Amesbury’s home town of Frodsham, Cheshire, on October 26.
Amesbury, who was sentenced and ordered to pay a £280 fine on Monday, is attending the appeal hearing at Chester Crown Court this morning, a court spokesman said.
The sentence leaves him at risk of being ousted if his constituents back a petition calling for a by-election.
The former Labour MP has been sitting as an Independent for the Cheshire seat since he was suspended by the party after his arrest last year.
There is no automatic suspension for MPs serving a custodial sentence, although opposition parties have called for Amesbury to resign so a by-election can be held.
Disgraced MP Mike Amesbury has arrived at court in handcuffs where he will appeal his 10-week prison sentence for sucker-punching a constituent in the street
The 55-year-old MP for Runcorn and Helsby was filmed striking constituent Paul Fellows, 45, after they had an argument by a taxi rank at 2am in Amesbury’s home town of Frodsham, Cheshire, on October 26
Paul Fellows pictured leaving his home on October 29 carrying an overnight bag
Amesbury, who was sentenced on Monday, is attending the appeal hearing at Chester Crown Court this morning, a court spokesman said
The sentence leaves him at risk of being ousted if his constituents back a petition calling for a by-election (Pictured arriving at his sentencing on Monday)
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: ‘I want to see him either obviously resign or face recall, and so that we can have a new MP in place.’
At Chester Magistrates’ Court on Monday, deputy senior district judge Tan Ikram told Amesbury an immediate custodial sentence was necessary ‘as a punishment and a deterrent’.
Amesbury pleaded guilty in January to assaulting Mr Fellows in October last year.
Footage showed Amesbury punching Mr Fellows to the head, knocking him to the ground, then following him on to the road and starting to punch him again, at least five times.
He was then heard saying: ‘You won’t threaten your MP again will you, you f****** soft lad?’
An application for bail, pending an appeal, was refused by the judge and Amesbury was taken to Category B HMP Altcourse in Liverpool.
As he was handed his 10-week jail sentence, Judge Tan Ikram said: ‘Your reference to being a member of Parliament brings negative impact for the office you are privileged to hold.
The former Labour MP has been sitting as an Independent for the Cheshire seat since he was suspended by the party after his arrest last year
There is no automatic suspension for MPs serving a custodial sentence, although opposition parties have called for Amesbury to resign so a by-election can be held
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is pictured here with Amesbury on the campaign trail in Weaver Vale, Cheshire in 2019
‘Your position means you ought to be a role model to others, that’s something you ought to be mindful of in everything you do.’
Amesbury is also facing mounting pressure from all sides of the political spectrum to do the ‘honourable thing’ and resign his seat in the wake of the shocking incident.
Labour said residents in Runcorn and Helsby ‘deserved better’ amid demands to Amesbury to quit and trigger a by-election.
If a contest were to take place in the Cheshire seat, Reform UK and the Tories would be hoping to overturn Labour’s majority of 14,696 from last July’s general election.
After the footage was obtained and published by MailOnline, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described it as ‘shocking’.
He insisted the Labour Party had moved ‘swiftly’ to suspend Amesbury.
