Campaign ends as it started - in chaos

The Guardian

As soon as the winning candidate's acceptance speech became drowned out by a thunder of abuse, it was clear that this bitterly fought byelection was not going to end quietly. When Ronnie Carroll, a music hall crooner and independent candidate (45 votes; finished 13th of 14), chose to sing Danny Boy rather than make a speech, a charged atmosphere slipped into the anarchically surreal.

Rumours swept the hall that the Fathers4Justice supporters in Superman suits were planning to storm the podium. Police and security closed in. But the stunt, when it came, was as predictable as it was shocking - a purple powder bomb flung at Jody Dunn, by the Fathers4Justice candidate, Paul Watson.

The Lib Dem candidate struggled to continue with her speech, but it was lost in the heckles, and she was led from the podium in tears. In the stunned hiatus, Mr Watson was allowed to deliver his speech, before being arrested and led away. When Ms Dunn, a family law barrister who believes she may have represented the ex-wife of a Fathers4Justice activist, returned to give interviews in the press gallery, police had to block the stairwells to prevent the cartoon superheroes pursuing her.

But by yesterday morning attention had shifted to the night's more enduring shock. The Tories had become the first official opposition party since the second world war to come fourth in a byelection....

see the full story here