Joyce denies he is facing charges following airport incident
FALKIRK MP Eric Joyce has hit out at reports he is facing breach of the peace charges following a disturbance at Edinburgh Airport and accused a policeman of behaving inappropriately.
The row focused on an incident understood to have occurred after the politician left his mobile on a plane on Sunday evening.
It is thought that Mr Joyce asked to be allowed back to retrieve the phone.
In a statement yesterday Edinburgh Airport said the ex-Labour MP had been “arrested for being abusive and confrontational towards airport staff and police”.
“Behaviour of this nature is something we have zero tolerance for at Edinburgh Airport and police officers will act accordingly if the safety of our passengers and employees is put at risk,” a spokesman said.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “A 52-year-old man has been reported to the fiscal in connection with an alleged breach of the peace, which happened at Edinburgh Airport on May 19. He will appear in court at a later date.”
But in a posting on his blog last night, Mr Joyce took issue with both statements.
He wrote: “First, the police did not interview me. No statement was taken. No medical examination took place. I was not charged. Police Scotland has today, however, put out a statement to
Po‘
lice did not interview me. No statement was taken. No medical examination took place. I was not charged.
the effect that I ‘will appear in court at a later date’.
“This is an egregious error. It prejudges consideration by the procurator-fiscal (prosecution authority) and has wrongly led the Scottish and UK media to report that I have been charged with an offence.”
He added that the incident took place in the arrivals hall, not at the arrivals gate and clarified that he had not attempted to re-board the plane. He said that the incident arose “following a conversation between a very rude and unhelpful member of ground staff ... and a police officer who, having identified me, reacted extraordinarily inappropriately and in effect caused a disturbance”.
But he said that some people would “make their own pre-judgment” on the case, adding “such is Scottish public life”.
Mr Joyce sits as an independent member representing Falkirk after resigning from the Labour Party last year. He threatened to trigger a snap by-election if he feels the choice of his successor as Labour candidate is a “fix”.
His comments followed reports that the Unite trade union had recruited dozens of new members to the Labour Party in Falkirk.