Councillor who knocked phone from blogger's hand ordered to pay £330 for assault
A veteran Black Country councillor who knocked a mobile phone out of the hand of a blogger has been ordered to pay £200 compensation for assault as well as court costs.
Steve Melia, 75, admitted an offence of assault by beating relating to a protest outside Sandwell Council House in Oldbury on December 7 that was attended by blogger Julian Saunders.
Dudley Magistrates Court on Thursday heard the Labour councillor's reaction to disparaging comments being made to him would now leave a "stain" on his previously good character.
Sentencing the ward representative for Great Barr with Yew Tree, Deputy District Judge Bal Dhaliwal said there had been no justification for the comments made towards the councillor.
She gave him a 12-month conditional discharge for the offence.
Ms Dhaliwal said: “It’s clear and in my view unfortunate that certain remarks were being made to you. 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.”
Ms Karen Cockitt, prosecuting, said the victim reported a dull ache to his hand but no bruising after the incident in Freeth Street last year.
She told the court Mr Saunders, whose phone suffered a small chip to its screen, had written blogs about Sandwell Council since 2013.
Mrs Shelia Hicklin, mitigating for Melia, said: "This is is a sad day. He will live with a stain on his character. He accepts what he did was wrong.
"He will not be able to serve after so many years. He will lose his council nominated positions. In effect this is the end of his political life."
For assault Melia, of Friar Park Road, in Wednesbury, was given a conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay £200 compensation and £130 costs.
