Mike Amesbury, suspended Labour MP

Glad he got a custodial sentence. That’s the end of his career.

Justice and a message to everyone I think.

Good. Dispicable behaviour who someone who should have known so much better!

The right outcome for any MP who is found guilty of a crime that warrants a jail sentence.

The right outcome

I assume he will now have to stand down as MP triggering a by election. Now that, if it happens will be interesting.

The right thing to do.

Shameful behaviour; glad to see a custodial sentence awarded.

I'm glad he's been jailed, that was a dangerous-looking punch he threw, not a token jab.Terrible example.

The man he hit neither threatened nor offered violence. It was an attack on a non-violent individual.

Quite a day for MPs in court. That Reform MP, who took Russian bribes, hope he also gets his just desserts.

It was a bad attack. I am very surprised he did not get a lot longer. I have always understood that ' the only behaviour you can control is your own'. So why only 10 weeks for an actual assault but long sentences for posting on facebook for incitement? Hinting at other people to do deeds is not you doing the actual deed. Do not agree at all with the way things are going in this country. Not happy at all. And very, very worrying!!

Not comparable for a number of reasons.

Would be interested in a record of the proceedings as a number of factors come into play

This serious assault can’t be compared with the public order offences during the riots - especially when the aim of the post is to minimise the damage and risk of damage linked to “Facebook posts”
Q

That post really shocked me love0c, you seem to be saying that inciting violence or riot is less serious than an assault? Surely you don’t think people inciting rioting in Southport and other places after those little girls were killed was not serious? Or making death threats?

Basically:

The MP had assaulted someone in temper and would have been judged on whether there was provocation and of course mainly the actual degree of harm (ie is it an "assault" charge, or is it grievous bodily harm and degrees off) Sentences vary as to the degree of harm and if it is a planned attack.

Riot is a different category ie a situation where there is planned, co-ordinated intention is to join others to inflict injury and damage to people and property

In addition it was planned violence based on racial hatred

There was very substantial damage and a very large number of police injured.

Glad he got a custodial sentence, he was violent and he deserved all he got.

Iam64 Casdon - I spoke of facebook posts. Never mentioned rioting. Why on these forums do some people seem hellbent on putting words into people's mouths? I am not the first to question this either.
Rafichagran you and me both. But his sentence is no where near long enough

What exactly did you mean then love0c? Were you referring to a specific case where somebody had posted about incitement on Facebook that we were supposed to guess, rather that the most obvious recent incitement cases for which people were arrested were related to the Southport killings?

love0c

Iam64 Casdon - I spoke of facebook posts. Never mentioned rioting. Why on these forums do some people seem hellbent on putting words into people's mouths? I am not the first to question this either.
Rafichagran you and me both. But his sentence is no where near long enough

You said So why only 10 weeks for an actual assault but long sentences for posting on facebook for incitement? Hinting at other people to do deeds is not you doing the actual deed

what else were you referring to apart from the summer riots?

Amesbury was charged under Section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 for common assault. The maximum custodial sentence that can be imposed is six months.

Common assault includes things like pushing, slapping, spitting, waving a weapon, threatening words or raising a fist. It doesn't have to involve physical violence.

A first offence is unlikely to result in a custodial sentence but sentencing depends on the severity of the attack and the severity of the injury.

A case involving serious injury is likely to have been charged as ABH or GBH.

So on the scale of: common assault, ABH, GBH, common assault is the lowest.

The court heard that Fellows recognised the MP and approached him to remonstrate about a bridge closure in the town, with CCTV showing them in discussion for several minutes, but with no aggression or raised voices.

At one point Mr Fellows started to walk away but was re-engaged by Mr Amesbury … Amesbury was heard to say “what” a few times before shouting the word.

The prosecutor said Fellows put his hands in his pockets and turned towards the taxi queue, but when he turned back Amesbury punched him in the head. After he fell to the ground, Amesbury followed him on to the road and started to punch him again, at least five times … he was then heard saying “you won’t threaten your MP again will you”.

In pre-sentenicng the judge said: “This case is within the high culpability category. I accept that the injury was not serious. The sentencing guideline suggests a sentence starting point of a high level community order or a range up to a prison sentence.

Based on that, the actual sentence does sound high so I do wonder what was in the pre-sentencing report or to what extent his position as an MP has influenced the sentencing.

The judge said: Your reference to being a member of parliament in the aftermath brings negative impact to the office you are privileged to hold. Your profile and position of power as a servant of the people ought to be a role model to others. That is something you have to be mindful of in all that you do.

Both men involved in the incident had been drinking.

Compare Reform MP James McMurdock who was jailed for kicking his girlfriend “around four times” after he’d been drinking. He served 21 days. He was 19 at the time, so an adult. When his past came to light after he was elected, he described the attack as a “teenager indiscretion”.

Neither man should be serving as an MP.

love0c

It was a bad attack. I am very surprised he did not get a lot longer. I have always understood that ' the only behaviour you can control is your own'. So why only 10 weeks for an actual assault but long sentences for posting on facebook for incitement? Hinting at other people to do deeds is not you doing the actual deed. Do not agree at all with the way things are going in this country. Not happy at all. And very, very worrying!!

posting on Facebook for incitement
hinting at other people to do deeds

So incitement to cause riots is irrelevant to the devastation and damage caused in the summer riots? We saw places with asylum seekers and hotel staff inside set on fire. Police officers and paramedics attacked. It was disgusting.

Tyler Kay aged 26 and Jordan Parlour 28 were sentenced to 38 months and 20 months respectively for stirring up racial hatred during the summer riots. (BBC news). So love0c, you may not agree but our independent courts convicted because the crimes were severe

The correct outcome.

This is ridiculous and makes me very
The suspended Labour MP jailed for 10 weeks after punching a man in the street will receive full pay while in prison .
Mike Amesbury, 55, will continue to collect his £91,346 taxpayer-funded salary despite his criminal conviction as he is technically still a serving MP
Amesbury, the MP for Runcorn and Helsby, was sentenced to 10 weeks in jail on Monday after admitting to the assault of a 45-year-old man in Frodsham, Cheshire, in a “drunken brawl” last October
Had he been sentenced to more than a year in prison, Amesbury would have been ousted as an MP automatically and a by-election would have been triggered .
However, because he has been jailed for 10 weeks, he will remain in his seat as an independent MP
His constituents could vote to recall him, but only once any appeals have been exhausted.