Sandwell Labour councillor knocked phone out of blogger's hand

Steve Melia was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge

A councillor who knocked a phone out of a blogger's hand while passing a protest has admitted a charge of assault by beating.

It followed an altercation outside Sandwell Council offices in Oldbury on 7 December, as Labour veteran Steve Melia made his way to a meeting.

Blogger Julian Saunders was filming while protesters campaigned about a local golf course, the court heard.

Melia, 75, admitted knocking the phone out of Mr Saunders' hand.

It left the blogger with a dull ache in his hand and a chipped screen, Dudley Magistrates' Court was told.

The councillor, of Friar Park, Wednesbury, was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £200 in compensation and £130 towards the costs of the prosecution.

Mr Saunders had written blogs about Sandwell Council since 2013, Prosecutor Karen Cockitt said.

'Heat of the moment'

As part of that work, she said "he regularly stands outside of Oldbury Council House before council meetings" in order to question councillors.

On this occasion the filming coincided with a demonstration about the fate of a local golf course.

Defence solicitor Sheila Hicklin said retired electrical engineer Melia had been subjected to abusive comments on a daily basis outside the council's offices.

"He accepts he went over the top. He did strike the phone out of Mr Saunders' hand," she said.

Passing sentence, Deputy District Judge Bal Dhaliwal said there had been no justification for the comments made towards the councillor.

"It's clear and in my view unfortunate that certain remarks were being made to you," the judge said.

"It's clear to me that you reacted in the heat of the moment.

"Having said that your actions went well beyond what would have been acceptable in this set of circumstances."