Parking row mayor claims granny hit him

Grandmother-of-two Marjorie Simpson is alleged to have landed a “right hook” on the Conservative chairman of Yarm Town Council Jason Hadlow as they clashed in the council chamber.

Mr Hadlow, 48, claims the farmer’s wife, an independent, threatened her husband would beat him up, then spat in his face before she threw the punch.

Mrs Simpson, who had opposed council plans to fight the imposition of parking charges in the town, has denied the claims, insisting she only tried to push Mr Hadlow away because he was shouting in her face.

Cleveland Police confirmed they were investigating the incident in Yarm, Stockton-on-Tees, last month.

Mr Hadlow said town councillors had banned Mrs Simpson from speaking at meetings until the criminal investigation is over.

The entrepreneur, who runs the Simply Dutch furniture and antiques shop in Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, said: “She is completely out of touch with her electorate. When I pointed this out she became very aggressive.

“She spat in my face and hit me with a closed fist punch to the face, which was hard enough and unexpected enough to knock me off balance.

“I was absolutely stunned. I thought hang on, this is assault and I immediately shouted out because I wanted everybody to witness it.

“I telephoned the police then went to the station to make a statement. When I got back she had scarpered.

“To be frank, when you get hit, punched, and spat at, you think enough is enough. I want a restraining order.”

Mrs Simpson said she had been interviewed by police and denied lashing out.

She said she raised one hand to ward off Mr Hadlow, whom she claimed was stood nose to nose with her and goading her, in a rage.

When she pushed Mr Hadlow away he shouted “assault, assault”, she said.

“I was quite surprised when I went to the police station and they said I had punched him. He verbally abused me for what seemed like a long time and I just tried to get him away from me.”

At a Yarm Town Council meeting last week, councillors voted five to four in favour of Mrs Simpson being banned from speaking at meetings until the criminal investigation was over.

The alleged assault came just days after a public meeting in Yarm about the possible introduction of parking charges by Stockton Borough Council.

Mrs Simpson had argued that plans to mount a legal challenge to the charges could end up costing tens of thousands of pounds.