Police were called after Tobias Ellwood’s home was vandalized after the Conservative MP allegedly ran over and killed a prized Bengal cat – then allegedly drove off without stopping.
The MP was hailed as a hero in 2017 for trying to save the life of a police officer who was stabbed during the Westminster terror attack. But he is now out of favor with some of his constituents after the family who own the cat were allegedly left to cuddle their dying pet while the MP was away.
Ellwood is understood to have offered to provide a replacement animal. Shortly after the incident, his £1million converted barn in the village of Holdenhurst, near Bournemouth in Dorset, had eggs thrown at it and windows smashed with a croquet mallet.
The incident happened as Ellwood – a former army captain who made headlines in 2017 when he went to the aid of PC Keith Palmer, who was fatally stabbed by terrorist Khalid Masood outside the Palace of Westminster – was driving along a narrow lane leading to a village.
The Hawass family, the cat’s owners, would not go into detail about the incident, but a family member told the Daily Mail: “We just want to grieve for our cat. We want nothing to do with Tobias Ellwood.
A neighbor, who asked not to be named, said there was a simple reason Ellwood didn’t stop, saying: “He obviously didn’t know he did it until later.”
Julie Holland, 61, who lives across the street from the former priest’s home, owned by Stephanie Hava, also 61, was less sympathetic. Holland, who owns a cat named Boris, named after the prime minister, and a dog named Stanley, after Johnson’s father, said: “It’s a disgrace. If he had done that to my cat, I would have done something about it. But she added: “I’m still a supporter.”
A Dorset Police spokesman said last night: “We received a call at 2.47pm on Saturday 28 May 2022 relating to damage to a property in the village of Holdenhurst in Bournemouth.
“Officers have carried out inquiries and the parties involved have been identified and spoken to. After contacting all parties, the issue was resolved through a community resolution. No arrests were made.”
Ellwood declined to comment. A friend of the Bournemouth East MP said: “The matter is settled.”
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