Amesbury was ordered to carry out unpaid work for 200 hours by Judge Steven Everett, and two magistrates at Chester Crown Court, according to a report in The Guardian.
Mike Amesbury jail
The politician, who now sits as an Independent MP, was sentenced to 10 weeks in jail on Monday. Amesbury spent three nights jailed at the Chester magistrates court.
According to the Independent, before his sentence was suspended, Amesbury would have spent 40 percent of his sentence in the medium security HMP Altcourse prison. Under the rules, only two visits per month would be allowed. A strip search would also be conducted after Amesbury was shifted to the prison.
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Mike Amesbury case
The politician was charged with assault after CCTV footage emerged of him hitting a constituent last year. Video showed Amesbury punching the victim, Paul Flowers, after a heated discussion in Frodsham, Cheshire. Flowers was knocked to the ground after the punch and Amesbury continued to punch him.
The Runcorn and Helsby MP pleaded guilty in court in January. Amesbury was sentenced to immediate imprisonment on Monday, February 24.
During Amesbury’s appeal against his punishment, a judge said that the length of the prison time had been “spot on”. He did agree to suspend the sentence.
The bench hearing the appeal was told about Amesbury’s initial claim regarding the incident. The MP had alleged that a man had approached him “screaming” about matters like immigration and a local swing bridge.
Apart from 200 hours of unpaid work, Amesbury was also ordered to take an anger management course. The 55-year-old has been told to attend an alcohol monitoring programme as well. He also has to carry out rehabilitation work for 20 days.
Implications of Mike Amesbury’s jail sentence
Though the punishment has been suspended, Mike Amesbury’s political career has taken a hit. The MP can be ousted from his seat if his constituents sign a petition for a by-election.
There have already been calls for Amesbury’s resignation. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that she wanted the MP to resign or face recall so that elections could be held as soon as possible.
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Amesbury’s recall will mean that his seat could see a faceoff between Labour and the Reform UK Party. The Nigel Farage-led group has overtaken Keir Starmer’s Labour as the most popular party in a recent poll conducted by YouGov.
FAQs
1. Who is Mike Amesbury?
He is a Member of Parliament for Runcorn and Helsby in England.
2. Why was Mike Amesbury sentenced to jail?
He was convicted of punching a constituent and sentenced to 10 weeks in prison. The sentence was later suspended for two years.
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