LONDON (Reuters) -A British lawmaker was charged with assault on Thursday after he allegedly punched a passerby who he said had been threatening him after a Friday night out.
Mike Amesbury was suspended from the governing Labour Party after CCTV and video footage showed him throwing a punch at a man and repeatedly hitting him after he was knocked to the ground.
“Following a review of the evidence provided by Cheshire Police, we have authorised a charge of common assault against Mike Amesbury,” said Rosemary Ainslie, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime Division.
“The charge follows an alleged assault in Frodsham, Cheshire, on Saturday, 26 October 2024.”
After the incident, Amesbury, the Member of Parliament for Runcorn and Helsby in north-west England, said he felt threatened on the street after an evening out with friends.
“I have today been summonsed to court to face a charge of common assault following an incident in Frodsham last month, which was deeply regrettable,” Amesbury said in a statement on Thursday.
“I am continuing to cooperate with police and given this is an ongoing case I cannot comment further.”
Local police said Amesbury was set to appear in court at a “later date” in relation to reports of an assault on a 45-year-old man.
“Mike Amesbury MP was suspended by the Labour Party following the announcement of the police investigation,” a Labour Party spokesperson said. “We cannot comment further whilst legal proceedings are ongoing.”
(Reporting by Alistair Smout, Editing by Paul Sandle)
