03/05/2013

Former Mayor Admits Attacking Woman

Brian Coleman, a former Conservative mayor, has admitting attacking a woman after she filmed him parking illegally.

Coleman, who is a Barnet Councillor, admitted a charge of common assault by beating at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court, the BBC has said.

He was originally arrested in September after assaulting cafe owner Helen Michael in Finchley High Road, north London.

A lawyer for the 51-year-old said he had been trying to stop her filming him on a mobile phone as he parked in a loading bay.

The court heard Coleman, of Essex Road, Finchley, had helped bring in parking charges in the street which were "extremely unpopular" with local businesses.

They then heard how Miss Michael, a parking campaigner, went to film him after she was informed he had parked in a loading bay and was withdrawing money from a cash machine.

The incident was caught on CCTV and the footage was shown in the court.

A charge of careless driving against Coleman was dropped.

Following the charges in October, he was suspended by his party and stripped of his council committee duties.

(JP/CD)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

05 August 2013
65-Year-Old Bailed On Asda Carpark Manslaughter Charge
A man arrested in connection with the death of 64-year-old man in an Asda car park has been bailed. It is understood that the victim died in hospital on Sunday after sustaining head injuries when he was pushed to the ground during an argument in the supermarkets disabled parking area.
16 March 2012
Rise In Hospital Parking Fees Criticised
New figures published have shown than more than a quarter of hospital trusts in England increased car parking charges for patients and visitors in the year to last April. While some cut prices, others more than doubled them, according to data from 197 hospitals and mental health trusts.
16 September 2010
Hospital Parking Fees Here To Stay
The coalition government has announced that car parking charges for hospitals based in England are set to stay. The previous Labour administration had pushed to scrap parking fees for in-patients and regular out-patients, however the coalition agreed that there were better uses of public money than abolishing the charges.
21 August 2009
Parking Enforcement 'Out of Control'
Growing parking enforcement in private car parks and the huge amounts of money being taken from drivers has reached 'epidemic' level, according to the AA. More than one in 10 drivers say they have been issued a private parking ticket over the last year and tens of thousands of people have had their car clamped or removed from private car parks.
25 September 2008
'Metric Martyr' To Take On Parking Wardens
A man being dubbed the "metric martyr" is today launching a landmark legal challenge to ask for a judicial review into current parking laws.