Complaint after Wells altercation with Sinn Féin MLA

Sinn Féin are to lodge a complaint against DUP MLA Jim Wells, following an incident in the assembly on Tuesday.

Video footage shows Sinn Féin's Megan Fearon leaving the assembly chamber.

As she was leaving, Mr Wells rose from his seat and appeared to confront her at the door. Mr Wells says he warned Ms Fearon that comments she made on social were defamatory.

A separate complaint about alleged sexist comments by Mr Wells was made on Tuesday.

Sinn Féin MLA Megan Fearon made remarks on social media about Jim Wells on Tuesday

Sinn Féin say that the alleged altercation between Mr Wells and Ms Fearon was witnessed by other MLAs.

In a statement, the party said: "Sinn Féin have submitted a formal complaint with Assembly Commissioner for Standards Douglas Bain about the behaviour of Jim Wells towards MLA Megan Fearon in the assembly.

"The complaint has been made on the grounds of equality, respect and good working relationships between members."

On Tuesday, a complaint was lodged against Mr Wells after he was recorded making alleged sexist comments.

A video featuring Mr Wells and UUP MLA Ross Hussey sparked criticism on social media.

The video was recorded during a Public Accounts Committee meeting and had been on the assembly site since last week.

Mr Wells said his remarks had been totally misunderstood while Mr Hussey said they were clearly meant as a joke and were self-deprecating.

East Antrim MLA Stewart Dickson has written to the assembly commissioner for standards, Douglas Bain, to see whether the comments represent a breach of Stormont's code of conduct.

In the video, Mr Wells apparently tells Mr Hussey he was "scared out of his wits" when a female civil servant he says reminds him of DUP leader Arlene Foster enters.

Seconds later, Mr Wells is heard telling Mr Hussey: "I'm brilliant with women under the age of eight and great with those over the age of 80 - it's the ones in between I can't cope with, between eight to 80."

Analysis: Mark Devenport BBC News NI political editor

It could be, given that this has got a lot of newspaper coverage, that this will go further.

It could contribute to that sense that I'm increasingly getting that those in the DUP leadership would quite like Mr Wells to be replaced as a candidate in South Down by somebody else, rather than [for him] to potentially get them into the kind of hot water that happened during the Westminster election.

But what they will be worried about would be if he would stand as an independent and potentially put their seat there at risk.

Mr Dickson said: "I have asked the commissioner to investigate urgently whether the assembly has been brought into disrepute.

"I look forward to his response and Mr Wells' explanation of his alleged comments."

'Totally misunderstood'

In an email, Mr Wells said that his comments had been "totally misunderstood".

He said many of the comments appearing on social media in relation to them "are defamatory in the extreme and I will not hesitate to take legal proceeding against anyone who repeats these or the false interpretation of what I said to Ross Hussey".

Mr Hussey told BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show said he did not know "what Stewart's [Dickson] doing with this".

"It was a simple off-the cuff remark between myself and Jim Wells," he said.

"Jim Wells was not offensive to anybody, he was having a go at himself that he couldn't cope with women over the age of eight and under the age of 80 - it was a jocular remark.

"He wasn't being sexist, it was a joke remark against himself."

Last October, it was announced that Mr Wells would not be prosecuted for comments he made about gay marriage during a hustings event for the Westminster election.