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Mayor under scrutiny after fight at party

Paul Waugh,Deputy Political Editor
Saturday 01 June 2002 00:00 BST
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Ken Livingstone's private life was exposed to public scrutiny again yesterday after a man was injured at a late-night party attended by the Mayor of London.

Mystery surrounded the incident, which resulted in the police and an ambulance crew being called to the scene of the 40th birthday party of his pregnant partner's sister.

The man who fell, Robin Hedges, 35, art editor of ES Magazine, part of the Evening Standard, is believed to have tried to intervene when Mr Livingstone, 56, remonstrated with his girlfriend, Emma Beal, for smoking. Minutes later, Mr Hedges was found at the bottom of a 12ft stairwell.

At about 1.30am, an ambulance was called to "a fight in progress" at Kate Beal's home in Tufnell Park, north London. Police were alerted by the ambulance crew after reports of a man being injured.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Officers found a man had accidentally fallen over some side steps by the front door, ending up in the basement. No allegations were made against any other person."

Mr Hedges was taken to the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead with severe bruising. He was signed off work for four weeks. He was badly shaken and upset by the incident and has been forced to cancel a holiday to Chile.

Mr Hedges told the Evening Standard yesterday: "It was a horrible business and I'm still trying to get over it and come to terms with what happened both mentally and physically. Emma's my closest friend and I don't want to do anything that might upset her."

Mr Hedges, of Archway, north London, said he had no plans to sue Mr Livingstone or take the matter forward.

One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "At 1.20am I was awoken by hearing a thump in the garden just outside my bedroom window. I heard a girl saying, 'I've called an ambulance, nobody move him.'"

A spokeswoman for the Mayor said: "I don't think this is something we can comment on." It was revealed this week that Mr Livingstone and Ms Beal, 34, were to have a baby.

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