Battle rages between Tory and the family whose pet he ran over

2022-07-13

The MP, the kitty killed by his car and a croquet mallet through a window: Battle rages between Tory and the family whose pet he ran over

Bournemouth MP Tobias Ellwood ran over and killed a Bengal cat, it is claimed
Mr Ellwood, 55, is said to have driven off from the scene without stopping
Police were involved after it was reported windows were smashed at his home
The damage was allegedly a revenge attack by a member of the owner’s family

The claws were still out last night in the battle between a Tory MP and the family whose cat he ran over and killed.

Tobias Ellwood drove off without stopping after hitting Atticus, a five-year-old bengal.

The £1,000 cat belonged to Stephanie Hawa, Mr Ellwood’s neighbour in the village of Holdenhurst, Dorset. Days later, windows at the MP’s £1million converted barn were pelted with eggs and smashed with a croquet mallet.

Now it has emerged that the incident was a revenge attack carried out by a member of Mrs Hawa’s family.

Tobias Ellwood, 55, (pictured with his wife, Hannah) is the MP for Bournemouth East who made headlines in 2017 when he went to the aid of PC Keith Palmer – killed in the Westminster terrorist knife attack

Atticus, 5, the late Bengal cat struck and killed in the incident in Holdenhurst, Dorset

The cat was killed in the scenic village of Holdenhurst, near Bournemouth in Dorset, which has a population of just 100

And while the Tory politician, 55, claimed last night that police involvement led to the matter being ‘resolved amicably’, the Hawa family have told friends that the MP’s wife Hannah is continuing to demand £190 compensation for criminal damage.

The Hawa family say Mr Ellwood has never contacted them directly to apologise, let alone offered compensation. The Bournemouth East MP maintains he did make an offer and convey his apologies.

Mother-of-five Mrs Hawa, 61, who lives in a £1.5million former vicarage, told friends: ‘It’s not that he killed the cat – accidents happen – it’s the fact he just drove off.’

A friend told the Daily Mail: ‘It all happened in May. Stephanie and her children were walking their dogs. Atticus followed them.

‘They were in the lane outside their house, in daylight, when Tobias Ellwood sped along in his Land Rover and hit the cat.

‘A jogger tried to flag him down, but he just kept driving. They [the Hawas] were all in tears.

‘A few days after, in early evening, the individual went up to his house with a croquet mallet, and broke one Mr Ellwood’s shed windows, and scratched a couple of others, and egged the house.

‘The police got involved and it seemed to be resolved. Tobias and his wife requested through the Dorset force that the family gave them £100 for charity.

‘Rather than give the Ellwoods £100, the Hawas gave £650 to a cat protection charity.’ It is understood that Mrs Ellwood was unhappy at that and through the police requested £190 damages.

Last night a spokesman for the MP said: ‘All parties have agreed a resolution with police support and Mrs Hawa paying repairs.

‘Despite the voracity of the attack no charges will be pressed. The Ellwoods will themselves be donating a sum to a cat charity.

‘Mr Ellwood would never knowingly walk away from any incident.’

Mr Ellwood said: ‘When I learnt about the cat I was horrified. I immediately made efforts to reach out and apologise. Before I could pursue matter further we were distracted by a serious attack on our house, unbeknownst at the time that it was that related.’

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