‘Application refused’: Judge bluntly denies jailed MP Mike Amesbury’s request for bail to appeal sentence

Runcorn MP arrived in court without a bag of belongings with him, unlike many defendants

A judge bluntly refused to consider a bail application for a disgraced former Labour MP, who has been jailed for 10 weeks for assaulting one of his constituents.

Mike Amesbury was jailed for 10 weeks on Monday for punching a man after a row in the street, and telling him: “You won’t threaten your MP again will you, you f****** soft lad?”

Footage showed Amesbury punching Paul Fellows, 45, 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 in October last year.

After he pleaded guilty at a hearing in January, the Runcorn and Helsby MP was swiftly suspended from his party and is now sitting as an independent.

Sentencing Amesbury, deputy senior district judge Tan Ikram said: “In this case an immediate custodial sentence is, in my judgment, necessary, as a punishment and a deterrent.”

The former Labour MP has been jailed for 10 weeks after pleading guilty to assault (EPA)

However, shortly after passing sentence Richard Derby, representing Amesbury, asked the judge: “Is that an immediate sentence?”

The judge nodded, replied: “Yes,” and left the courtroom.

Amesbury was joined in the dock by two security guards to take him down to the cells.

The court he had been drinking at the time of the assault (EPA)

From there he was taken to HMP Altcourse in Liverpool. Unlike many defendants, he did not appear to have a brought a bag of belongings with him.

But Mr Derby then requested the judge come back into court as he wished to make an application for bail for Amesbury, pending an appeal against his sentence.

Judge Ikram returned to court, sat down, paused briefly and said: “Application refused.”

The judge previously said: “I have to say I have seen a single punch to the head cause fatal injury in previous cases I have dealt with, but of course I note the limited injuries in this case.”

He said the attack was unprovoked.

He added: “As a member of Parliament you could reasonably expect robust challenge from constituents and members of the public.”

He said Amesbury continued the attack and it “may well not have come to an end” had bystanders not intervened.