Crown to re-raise assault case against MP

The Crown Office has said it will today re-raise the case against an MP accused of kicking a woman at a polling station on the day of the Scottish independence referendum.

Marie Rimmer, who became MP for the Merseyside constituency of St Helens South and Whiston in May, was accused of kicking an opposing campaign activist outside the entrance of Shettleston Community Centre during last year’s vote.

However, the complaint was dismissed by Sheriff Brian Adair at Glasgow Sheriff Court yesterday because the word “Glasgow” was not included in the complaint.

Instead, the charge read: “On September 18, 2014 at the entrance to Shettleston community centre, Amulree Street, then being used as a polling station you did assault Patricia McLeish and did kick her on the body.”

The oversight was noticed shortly after the case began, leading solicitor advocate Liam Ewing, representing Ms Rimmer, to ask the sheriff to dismiss the complaint.

Depute Fiscal Adele MacDonald argued that the case could carry on as there is only one Shettleston in Scotland.

After a 40-minute adjournment, Sheriff Adair said: “I determine that the complaint is fundamentally nil and is dismissed.”

The Crown Office, which maintains its belief that the case did not need to be dismissed, intends to re-raise the case today instead of going through a longer process of appealing the decision.