Tebbit may face charges for allegedly kicking reveller

THE ORGANISER of Chinese new year celebrations in a Suffolk town will support former Conservative Party chairman Lord Norman Tebbit in court if police go ahead with a prosecution against him for allegedly kicking a reveller on the bottom after he complained about noise from a street party in February being held to mark the holiday near his home.

The decision by police in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk to draw up a file for the Crown Prosecution Service has surprised both Lord Tebbit and the event’s organiser, Patrick Chung.

Both had believed that the incident had been dealt with on the night, when apologies were exchanged between the Tory peer and a 28-year-old kung fu student.

A police spokeswoman said: “A 78-year-old man from Bury St Edmunds has been reported for consideration of prosecution for a public order offence, after a complaint was received about the conduct of a man in Hatter Street in Bury St Edmunds on the evening of Tuesday, February 16th. Inquiries are continuing into this incident.”

Lord Tebbit, who moved into a new home in the town late last year, is alleged to have approached a man carrying a drum on the night and complained about the noise.

“I had heard a dreadful noise and went outside and found the street blocked. I put my hands on a Chinese drum to try and stop the noise. I got my knuckles rapped for my pains. I then got jostled by a dragon. I have never been jostled by a dragon before. I gave it a shove, then got on my way.”

Reports that a child was wearing the dragon costume could not be confirmed.

Following the February incident, Lord Tebbit met local council officials and wrote a letter to the organisers of the events, including Mr Chung, who happens to be a Conservative councillor.

In it, the peer said: “Peace and good community relations have been established between the indigenous population of Churchgate and the recent immigrants.” He said he had been unaware that Chinese new year was celebrated annually in Bury St Edmunds. “It was of course to be regretted that as a recent immigrant I had not been told of this, but then it is up to immigrants to remember that when in Rome . . . ”

Mr Chung said yesterday: “I thought everything was finished. We will now see whether this goes further.”