Kavanaugh and four other men were questioned by police over the incident in 1985

Brett Kavanaugh and UB40’s Ali Campbell

UB40’s Ali Campbell has spoken out on reports that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was previously involved in a bar fight after one of their gigs.

The New York Times has obtained a police report that they claim shows that Kavanaugh was involved in a fight in a Yale bar in 1985 with a patron that was mistakenly believed to be UB40 singer Ali Campbell.

The report shows that Kavanaugh and four other men were questioned by the New Haven Police Department. While Kavanaugh was not arrested, a 21-year-old man is said to have accused him of “thrown ice for some reason”.

A witness to the fight said that Chris Dudley, a Yale basketball player who is friends with Kavanaugh, then threw a glass that hit the man in the ear, according to the police report.

Police questioned Kavanaugh and four other men, and Kavanaugh “did not want to say” whether he threw the beer.
Ali Campbell performing with UB40 in 1985
Speaking to the Guardian, Campbell said he had originally found out about the story when his wife had mentioned it to him. “I don’t know the bloke, so I don’t know whether he’s innocent or guilty, but I wouldn’t support anyone assaulting women,” he said. “But I do know that nobody bumped me on the head with a block of ice in a bar. I would remember that, wouldn’t I?

He continued to say that he didn’t remember the specific gig but usually would get in a car and go straight back to the band’s hotel after shows. “You don’t expect a rightwing Republican to follow a leftwing reggae socialist band from Birmingham,” he added.

“But we used to sing about really heavy stuff and wrap it up in frothy, happy tunes, so a lot of people got into us who had no idea what we were singing about. Maybe he just loves reggae … and didn’t listen to our lyrics.”

A spokesperson for Robin Campbell, brother of singer Ali (who left the band in 2008), previously told Billboard: “Obviously, there must have been an assault because the police were called and a report was filed. But this is a case of mistaken identity and has nothing to do with UB40.”

This comes as the FBI has begun an investigation into Kavanaugh for accusations of historic sexual misconduct after being nominated for the Supreme Court in the US. He denies all allegations.