A member of the UK Parliament is facing charges for assault following an incident that was captured on video, as announced by prosecutors on Thursday.
Mike Amesbury, who is 55 years old, was suspended from the Labour Party following an altercation that took place on October 26. The charge of common assault pertains to a 45-year-old man, as stated by Rosemary Ainslie, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime Division. Amesbury is expected to make a court appearance at a future date.
Footage from surveillance cameras depicted Amesbury delivering a punch to a man’s face on a sidewalk in the town of Frodsham, located in northwest England, which caused the man to fall to the ground. The video continued to show Amesbury hitting the individual while he was on the ground, despite bystanders urging him to cease his actions.
In a statement released after the altercation, Amesbury, who represents Runcorn and Helsby, claimed that he had been out with friends and felt threatened during the encounter.
Additional video footage circulating on social media captures Amesbury shouting at a man in the street, asserting, “You won’t ever threaten me again, will you?” Earlier that same evening, Amesbury had plans to attend a local meeting focused on community safety and policing.
In a related incident from the previous year, a 56-year-old individual was convicted of stalking Amesbury at his constituency office located in Frodsham.