Eric Joyce Called Police Officers 'C****' During Commons Bar Brawl

Eric Joyce MP Called Police Officers 'C****' During Commons Bar Brawl
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A "hammered" Eric Joyce attacked four politicians in a bar brawl before telling police "You can't touch me, I'm an MP".

He also called officers "c****" after going berserk and headbutting Tory MP Stuart Andrew and councillor Ben Maney, prosecutor Zoe Martin told Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday.

Martin said Joyce launched into a frenzied attack after shouting the Strangers bar "was full of f****** Tories".

Having attacked two MPs and two councillors he then wrote in a police officer's notebook: "We are a Tory nation, that cannot be forever... good cops unite."

Joyce was given a 12-month community order banning him from entering pubs and licensed premises for three months.

He was also fined £3,000 by the magistrate and ordered to pay £350 to each of his victims.

Jeremy Dein QC, Joyce's defence barrister, said the politician, 51, accepted the fact that he was drinking was not an excuse "for the dreadful scenario that unfolded".

Joyce, while sobering up in the cells, told police of one of his victims: "I think he was a silly fat Tory MP. He was pushing like a girl and giving me a bearhug."

A barman had told officers there was a "happy and friendly" atmosphere before Joyce "flipped" on February 22.

Prosecutor Martin said: "Mr Joyce started to sing very loudly... that was noticed by several people in the bar. Nobody seemed bothered by it."

Joyce then approached Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke, saying: "Don't look at any of my guests like that again."

MP Andrew Percy walked past and asked Joyce to move. Joyce replied: "No, you f****** can't", Martin said.

Witnesses said Joyce then shouted: "There are too many Tories in this bar" and later: "The bar was full of f****** Tories."

Andrews protested, saying: "You can't behave in that way" before Joyce launched into a string of attacks.

Joyce was suspended from the Labour Party following the incident in February but remains an MP. He is expected to be expelled permanently from Labour following his conviction.

If he had been sentenced to over 12 months in prison he would have had to resign his seat.

But speaking outside the court on Friday Joyce said he intended to stay in parliament until the 2015 general election.

"Clearly it's a matter of considerable personal shame," he said of the incident.

"I've been duly punished today. I've been lucky to avoid prison. I'm very ashamed, of course."

He said he wanted to apologise to a "long list" of people he had let down, including his constituents and fellow MPs.

But he said he did not intend to stand down as an MP before the next election.

"It would be easy but I was elected in 2000 and I will continue serving," he said.

Asked if he thought he had a problem with alcohol, he told reporters: "I think drink was an aggravating factor, that's something I have to deal with personally. Not everyone who drinks gets involved in fights."

In a statement issued on friday afternoon Andrew said he did not "harbour any grudge or ill will" towards Joyce as a result of the attack and hoped "any personal challenges he faces can be overcome".