Jailed MP Mike Amesbury back in court to appeal against sentence

Jailed MP Mike Amesbury will return to court to appeal against his sentence.

The Runcorn and Helsby MP, who was given a 10-week prison sentence on Monday for punching a man in the street, will attend an appeal hearing at Chester Crown Court on Thursday morning, a court spokesman said.

The sentence leaves the 55-year-old 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.

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 Paul Fellows, 45, following a row in the street in Frodsham, Cheshire, in the early hours of October 26.

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.