Word reaches MediaGuido that Martin Bentham, the Evening Standard’s home affairs editor, has been suspended pending investigation following an altercation with another journalist at the paper. The fracas is said to have taken place in the newsroom loos, with Bentham allegedly going all Clarkson and punching top features writer Joshi Herrmann three times. Newsroom sources suggest Bentham was uspet with Herrmann being gonged by the Press Awards for bringing in stories on his patch, which ironically includes crime and the Metropolitan Police. 

Herrmann seemingly walked straight to lunch to give a blow by blow account to fellow Standard and Indy hacks, reporting “a very poor uppercut to the chin”. MediaGuido contacted Herrmann to ask if he was going to press charges: “Can’t comment sorry, but I hope Martin is back covering violent crime in London very soon”.

Bentham hasn’t written for the paper or tweeted for over a week. By the sounds of it he has lot to learn from the big boss about how to throw a fist…

UPDATE: This is the official line: “Martin Bentham is currently on a long-planned family holiday”. But no response when asked to deny the suspension…