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Wilko Johnson investigated for assault


Wilko Johnson was investigated by police after his manager Robert Hoy accused him of assault.

The R&B guitarist was quizzed by Essex police after Hoy claimed that he had been attacked by the musician in February.

According to The Independent newspaper, Wilko, 67, visited Hoy’s property in Canvey Island with a colleague in tow, where the pair allegedly argued.

A spokesperson from the Essex Police confirmed that an allegation regarding assault was made on February 19, regarding an incident that was "reported to have happened on Sunday, February 2 in Canvey."

They also confirmed that the accusation was originally withdrawn on February 20 before allegedly continuing with their inquiries after the complainant asked for the case to be re-opened.

Wilko and his associate were spoken to again by the police, but no further action was taken.

The complaint has resulted in the pair’s working relationship coming to an end. Wilko and Hoy had been friends for 40 years, with the latter acting as his manager for the last five years.

Wilko is adamant the accusation against him is false, as he told the newspaper: "This was dealt with back at the time. I’ve been in hospital and convalescing and the events happened a long time ago. There was no incident and the accusations were slanderous."

Wilko had been battling pancreatic cancer since January 2013 but he announced at this week’s Q Awards – where he was presented with the Icon Award presented by Carling’s Black Label Project – that he has been "cured" of the disease after undergoing radical surgery in April to remove a "3 kilogram" tumour.