Britain’s crown prosecution service says it will not press charges against Deputy Prime Minister Mr John Prescott for his involvement in an infamous pre-election punch-up with a protester in May.
"The Crown Prosecution Service has advised North Wales Police that there should be no further action against John Prescott and Craig Evans," a CPS spokeswoman said today.
The May 16th scuffle, caught on television, gave some spice to the humdrum election, easily won by Mr Prescott's Labour Party. The burly politician threw a punch at Mr Evans, who had hurled an egg at him during a walkabout in Rhyl, North Wales.
"The conclusion in Mr Prescott's case is that, for reasons of self defence, there is not a realistic prospect of a conviction," the CPS said.
In the case of Mr Evans, it noted that he had suffered minor injuries during a brief scuffle with Mr Prescott and that he had been held in police custody after the event for several hours.
Mr Prescott said the incident was "regrettable" and British Prime Minister Tony Blair defended Mr Prescott, saying his deputy had "great strengths".