DISGRACED Labour MP Mike Amesbury has been freed from jail after winning an appeal against his sentence for punching a constituent.
The Runcorn and Helsby MP was locked up for ten weeks on Monday after he admitted assaulting Paul Fellows in a late-night brawl.
Amesbury, 55, who is suspended from the Labour party, was pictured arriving at Chester Crown Court today in handcuffs to appeal his sentence.
He won the bid and was instead given a ten week prison sentence, suspended for two years.
The MP was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and observe a 12 month alcohol monitoring program.
Amesbury was also made subject to 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days – including an anger management course.
Judge Steven Everett said today that Amesbury had lost his temper “in a huge way” and that the case shows him in a “truly unfavourable light as an MP”.
But changing the sentence, he added: “It has been a very fine line, I tell you now.
“Because of the important change over the last three or four days, we can conclude you are a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”
The MP, who resigned his Labour membership, once again apologised to Mr Fellows as he left court today but refused to answer whether he would resign.
He added: “I’m now going to go and see my family, and go home, and I’ll give a statement at a later stage.”
Footage showed Amesbury attacking Mr Fellows, who he knew from school, in Cheshire in the early hours of October 26.
The court hear the pair had engaged with each other for “several minutes” before the violence erupted at a taxi rank after a night of boozing.
Mr Fellows had recognised Amesbury and approached him to remonstrate about a bridge closure in the town, the court heard.
The MP told him: “It’s got nothing to do with you”.
Mr Fellows then started to walk away but was called back by Amesbury, who shouted out “what” before punching him in the head.
As he fell to the ground, the raging MP punched him again “at least five times” – leaving him with a lump on the head.
He said: “Don’t ever threaten me again.”
Hours earlier, he had posed for photos with the local police commissioner.
Mr Fellows suffered a lump on his head after the attack and superficial soft tissue damage.
The MP previously claimed he was acting in self defence but no longer maintains that, the court heard.
His lawyer said Amesbury has experienced “shame and embarrassment” over the attack.
Amesbury, who now sits in Parliament as an Independent, won his seat at the general election in July with a majority of 14,696.
He had served under Labour since 2017 and was a shadow minister between 2018 and 2024
Speaking after the sentencing, a Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Labour Party took swift action following Mike Amesbury’s completely unacceptable actions and he is no longer a Labour MP or a member of the Labour Party.
“It is right that Mr Amesbury pleaded guilty and has now been sentenced.
“Local residents in the Runcorn and Helsby constituency deserved better and we look forward to them getting the representation they deserve in the future with a new Labour MP.”
[boxout headline=”What does Amesbury’s sentencing mean for Labour?”]By Martina Bet, Political Correspondent
MIKE Amesbury has left Labour facing a nightmare by-election battle and has given Nigel Farage’s Reform a golden chance to cause an upset.
Despite Amesbury’s huge 14,696 majority in the quiet Cheshire market town, voter anger over tax hikes, pensions, and migration has fuelled Reform’s surge in the once rock-solid Labour seat.
Farage’s party, which finished second in July’s general election, has already been pounding the pavements of Runcorn and Helsby, sensing a shot at landing its sixth MP.
A shock Reform win would send Westminster into meltdown as it would prove it’s more than just a protest vote and a real threat to Labour.
And for Sir Keir Starmer, losing a by-election just months into Government would be a humiliating blow.
Reform, of course, still faces a mountain to climb, needing a massive swing but even a strong showing is likely to rattle Labour HQ.
The party has already picked off council seats nearby, but can it turn frustration into votes?
Whether Reform wins or not, this by-election will be the biggest test yet of Farage’s threat to Labour’s Red Wall.
Alison Storey, Senior Specialist Prosecutor with the CPS Special Crime Division, said: “This was a persistent assault by Mike Amesbury which continued while the victim was on the floor, offering no aggression.
“The victim was alone and not part of a group and CCTV footage showed that he was not being threatening or aggressive towards Mike Amesbury.
“After the initial punch which knocked the victim to the ground, Mike Amesbury struck the victim at least a further five times while he was on the floor. The CPS will always seek to prosecute violent offences in accordance with our legal test regardless of who the perpetrator is.”
