Amesbury 'had six or seven pints' before assault

Mike Amesbury said he had drunk "six or seven pints" before the attack

An MP briefly jailed for assaulting a constituent said he had drunk "six or seven pints" before punching the man.

Mike Amesbury, 55, announced he was standing down from his Helsby and Runcorn seat after repeatedly punching Paul Fellows on a night out in Frodsham, for which he was jailed for 10 weeks but released after the sentence was reduced.

Ex-Labour member Amesbury told ITV's GMB he had drunk in three pubs on an empty stomach before hitting Mr Fellows, and added the government had been "having a tough time in Parliament" in the run up to the incident.

Mr Fellows has previously said Amesbury "could have killed him" and "deserved to be in prison".

Amesbury attacked Mr Fellows on 26 October, and was heard to shout "You won't threaten the MP again, will you?" after knocking Mr Fellows to the ground.

In the GMB interview, he said: "I am being punished and rightfully so."

He added: "Lots of members of parliament got personal alarms on them and so forth.

"Mr Fellows was somewhat vexed about... I think... a local bridge.

"I did feel personally threatened at that time and I made an instantaneous judgment call which was wrong.

"I should have walked away."

Amesbury was jailed on 24 February at Chester Magistrates' Court.

He was given a 10-week prison term, which was reduced to a suspended sentence after an appeal, and has resigned from Parliament.

Chief magistrate Tan Ikram told Amesbury a pre-sentence report showed his actions were the result of a "anger and loss of emotional control".

He said: "I have to say that I have seen a single punch to the head cause fatal injuries, but note the limited injuries in this case."

Amesbury was released on 27 February after his sentence was reduced to a suspended term.

He resigned his seat on 10 March, having been suspended by the Labour Party immediately after the incident.

Additional reporting by PA Media.