MP Mike Amesbury walked free today (Thursday) – three days after being jailed for 10 weeks after pleading guilty to assaulting a constituent during a drunken late night incident in Frodsham.
Judge Steven Everett, sitting at Cheshire Crown Court, agreed to suspend for two years the original jail sentence, imposed at Chester Magistrates Court on Monday.
Amesbury had appealed against the original sentence.
Judge Everett said suspending the jail sentence was in no way a criticism of the magistrates court’s decision. But the three days the MP had served were significant.
The judge also ordered Amesbury to carry out 200 hours’ unpaid work, undertake a 12-month alcohol monitoring programme, go on an anger management course and carry out 20 days of rehabilitation work.
The former Labour MP – he was suspended by the party after video footage showed the assault taking place – admitted assaulting Paul Fellows, 45, in a drunken row in Frodsham in the early hours of October 26.
His sentence still leaves the 55-year-old, now sitting as an Independent MP – at risk of losing his seat if his constituents back a recall petition calling for a by-election.
The judge warned Amesbury that in the event of re-offending the 10-week jail sentence would still await him.
A by-election in Amesbury’s Runcorn and Helsby constituency would be seen as important by all the main political parties and also Reform UK, who came second to Labour at the General Election.
A by-election would be the first since Labour took power and would be held if 10 per cent of the electorate called for one.
Amesbury has expressed regret for the incident and apologised to Mr Fellows and his family for the distress caused.