Tory MP hurt in confrontation with youths

Guardian UK ^

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* Martin Wainwright * guardian.co.uk, Sunday 21 June 2009 21.42 BST

Police are hunting for four youths who attacked an MP in a seaside resort in his constituency, leaving him with temporary hearing damage.

Former army officer Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative member for Bournemouth East, was punched after trying to stop a drunken gang playing football among shoppers in Boscombe high street.

A 20-year-old man is also being questioned about the incident yesterday, which started with abuse but turned physical when Ellwood, who confronted a group of teenagers last year, filmed the youths on his mobile phone. The MP, 42, told them they were causing trouble and asked them to move. One of them twice threw the ball into his face from point-blank range, according to witnesses, who then saw all four throw punches at his head.

The gang earlier kicked their ball repeatedly at a truck belonging to two meat salesmen after sitting on a wall drinking cans of lager. One of the salesmen, Craig Wall, 29, from Birmingham, who was serving a queue of approximately 25 shoppers from the truck, said: "The youths were aggressive, annoying, quite drunk and swearing. They all had tattoos and shaved heads. One had a couple of cuts on his head. There were women there, girls walking past and they were being very crude, saying things I wouldn't like to repeat."

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You mean even in the streets they have sports riots?! SHEESH!