CPS deciding whether to charge MP Mike Amesbury over alleged punch video
Footage appeared to show the Runcorn and Helsby MP punching a man to the ground last weekend
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Your support makes all the difference.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is weighing up whether to charge MP Mike Amesbury after CCTV footage emerged which appears to show him punching a man.
The MP for Runcorn and Helsby was suspended from the Labour Party on Monday evening after a clip was published by MailOnline in which he is apparently seen hitting the man lying on the ground at around 2am last Saturday.
Mr Amesbury, who has not been arrested, voluntarily met with police after the footage emerged.
The CPS confirmed it had received a file from Cheshire Police in relation to the incident after the MP was questioned.
A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said: “Cheshire Police received reports of an assault in Main Street, Frodsham, at 2.48am on Saturday 26 October.
“An investigation was immediately undertaken, and a 55-year-old man was voluntarily interviewed under caution by police in relation to this incident.
“A file was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service on Tuesday 29 October for their consideration and we are awaiting their decision.”
In a statement released shortly after the incident, Mr Amesbury said he had reported himself to the police and would cooperate with their inquiries while remaining “an open and accessible MP for our community”.
The CPS is responsible for deciding whether or not someone should be charged with a crime after evidence has been collected by the police.
The case has been passed to the CPS’s special crime division in London rather than the local department in the North West of England because of his position as an MP. The CPS was unable to give a timescale for its decision.
Asked about the footage on Monday, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “There is now a police investigation and in the circumstances you’ll appreciate there’s not much more I can say about that.”
The Independent has contacted Mr Amesbury for further comment.
The Labour Party declined to comment.