He could’ve killed me & should be in jail, says dad battered by MP Mike Amesbury as he asks ‘why hasn’t he been sacked’?
A DAD battered by a Labour MP has told how he could have been killed in the unprovoked attack and called for a law change so jailed politicians automatically lose their jobs.
Paul Fellows, 45, was assaulted by Mike Amesbury in a taxi queue in October.
He fell backwards on to the road, narrowly avoiding banging his head.
Amesbury was jailed for ten weeks on Monday then freed on appeal with a suspended sentence on Thursday.
Talking about the incident for the first time, Paul told The Sun on Sunday that police told him they did not have CCTV footage of the attack – only for it to emerge hours later and rubbish the MP’s claims he acted in self-defence in Frodsham, Cheshire.
Disgraced Amesbury, 55, became angry after quantity surveyor Paul asked him about the planned closure of a local bridge, which would cause traffic chaos.
Paul, who had his hands in his pockets when thumped at 2am on October 26, said: “‘He could’ve killed me and deserves to be in prison.
“Everyone knows one punch can kill. Any adult with an ounce of common sense knows that. As soon as you lay your hand on someone you’re committing an assault.
“The intent was there. And if you punch someone you’ve got to accept the consequences. It could have been far worse.”
Divorced dad-of-two Paul also urged Sir Keir Starmer to change the rules so MPs automatically lose their £91,346-a-year job if convicted and sent to prison.
He said: “If I got jailed I’d be sacked so why should it be different for anyone else? Once you’re convicted you should just lose your job.”
Amesbury, MP for Runcorn and Helsby, now sits as an independent after Labour kicked him out.
He spent three nights in HMP Altcourse in Liverpool before his sentence was suspended.
Paul said he had been out for drinks in Manchester before visiting a couple of pubs in Frodsham when he bumped into the MP.
A day earlier Amesbury had called the bridge closure “unacceptable” and attended a meeting on the issue.
Paul said: “I asked ‘Mike what’s going on with the bridge?’
“He replied ‘I’m your MP, who do you think you’re speaking to?’
“I said ‘Yeah you are my MP, that’s why I’m talking to you.
“I could tell he’d had a few. I couldn’t really understand him. He was angry. The bridge was on my mind because we’d been talking about it in work. He started rambling on about being an MP.
“The most I’ve said is ‘I’ve asked you a question’. Next thing he’s punched me, a left hook in the face.
“I had my hands in my pockets and walked away because I couldn’t be bothered with it. He walked away and then he’s come back. It seemed to escalate out of nowhere.”
CCTV footage from a taxi office later showed Amesbury attack Paul again before bystanders intervened.
Paul recalled: “I’ve gone down off the kerb, hit the parking bay on the road and before I know it I’m getting hit continuously.
“He’s rained five or six punches on the top of my head as well as kicking me in the abdomen.
“I was shocked. I didn’t really know what was going on because there was no provocation for my part.
“It was totally out of the blue and I had no chance really to defend myself apart from put my arms up as I was on the floor.
“As these blows have come in, a lady ran over and shouted ‘Stop!’ and he’s walked away. I want to say thank you to that lady because it could have been far worse.
“Then he just walked off mumbling about ‘threatening behaviour’.”
Witnesses later told how Amesbury stood over Paul saying: “You won’t threaten your MP again, will you, you f***ing soft lad.”
Paul called 999 and said he had been assaulted and named the MP.
He said: “There was a bit of anger but I was on the phone to the police. I’m not a fighter at all. I’d never been in that situation of being hit.”
Cops went to the scene but Amesbury had left, Paul had got a taxi home. At 9am, Amesbury reported the incident to cops and claimed he acted in self-defence.
Two detectives visited Paul at midday and spent an hour taking a statement.
Paul, who has a daughter, 14, and son, ten, said: “I asked if there was any CCTV and they said ‘We’ve investigated that already. There’s no footage because they were not working or facing the wrong way’.”
Two days later Paul attended an NHS walk-in centre after suffering from severe headaches.
He was given a clean bill of health but later had a CT scan to check he had not suffered a potentially fatal bleed on the brain.
On October 27, the day after the attack, footage emerged which proved Paul had his hands in his pockets and was not behaving aggressively.
He said: “When I saw the CCTV there was relief because everyone can see what happened. “When I saw the actual punch my overriding emotion was shock and that it was worse than I remembered and the way he carried on going in when I was on the floor.”
Paul added: “If it had been the other way round they would have been much harsher on me. I would have been arrested. He did something very bad.
“I believe he was handled with care because of his job.” Paul also revealed that he had previously socialised with Amesbury as part of a parental group as their kids went to the same school.
I’ve not had any personal apology, anything in either writing or trying to contact me.
Paul Fellows
He said when he first met Amesbury he found him “stand-offish” but said when the group went out they were more likely to talk about their kids and football than politics.
Paul, who has voted both Conservative and Labour, said: “He wasn’t a friend, just someone I knew.”
On November 7 Amesbury was charged with common assault.
He pleaded guilty on January 16. As he left court, Amesbury, who has been an MP for eight years and a Labour member since he was 17, described his behaviour as “highly regrettable”, adding “I’m sincerely sorry to Mr Fellows”.
But Paul said he believed he only apologised as a media stunt.
He added: “I’ve not had any personal apology, anything in either writing or trying to contact me.”
At his February 24 sentencing hearing, Amesbury’s defence team said he had previously been subjected to threats owing to his job, and that six of his staff would lose their jobs if he was jailed.
Paul reacted: “Comparing himself to other MPs who have unfortunately been injured or killed, that’s totally outrageous to use that as an excuse to defend his behaviour
“I’d never want anyone out of work, but it’s as a result of his own actions and no one else’s.”
‘It’s disgusting’
Shamed Amesbury was initially sentenced to ten weeks’ prison and ordered to pay £200 in compensation, with costs of £85 and victim surcharge of £154.
Sentencing, Judge Tan Ikram said: “This was an unprovoked attack. I have seen a single punch to the head cause fatal injury in previous cases that I have dealt with.
Amesbury appealed and on Thursday, Judge Steven Everett agreed to suspend his jail term. Amesbury was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, undertake a 12-month alcohol- monitoring requirement, complete an anger management course and carry out 20 days of rehabilitation.
Paul said: “I feel sick. It’s disgusting he’s got away with this. He should still be behind bars. It’s like he’s rode roughshod over the law.”
He added: “The fact that Mike Amesbury can still remain an MP, never mind get paid while he’s incarcerated in jail, is amazing. “If anyone else got a custodial sentence for a criminal act, they would be sacked on the spot.
“The law needs amending because it’s not right or fair that someone can commit a criminal act like that and carry on being rewarded.”
Under Parliamentary rules, a Westminster by-election can be forced if ten per cent of voters in the constituency of an MP jailed or given a suspended custodial sentence sign a petition calling for one.
Yesterday Amesbury refused to comment at the home he shares with wife Amanda, the £130,000-a-year director of children’s services for Warrington council.
But local voters made clear their anger at his conduct. Rosemary Snape, 72, said: “He should have been locked up. If he can’t control himself, he shouldn’t be an MP, representing people.”
Labour voter Mike Glover, 78, said: “He’s a bloody idiot! You just can’t do that. He’s got to go.”