London - A British lawmaker has questioned whether police may have treated Nigella Lawson's husband too leniently after he admitted to assaulting the celebrity chef in a restaurant.
Opposition Labour Party lawmaker Sandra Osborne asked on Thursday in the House of Commons if there is one rule for the rich and famous and another rule for everyone else.
She was referring to advertising mogul Charles Saatchi, who earlier this week was given a police “caution” after admitting assault. Saatchi, 70, contacted police after newspapers published photos of him grasping his wife's throat during an argument.
He will not face further charges or penalties.
Osborne said it sends the wrong message to allow someone to receive only a caution after admitting assault. Under British law, a caution can be given to someone who admits a minor offence. It carries no penalty, but it can be used as evidence of bad character if a person is later prosecuted for a different crime.
Prosecutors' guidelines indicate cautions are appropriate for some assaults.
Lawson, 53, has not commented on the incident.
In photos published by The Sun newspaper Thursday, she was shown not to be wearing her wedding band. - Sapa-AP