Joyce was the top-claiming Member of the House of Commons for the 2005-06 Parliamentary session, claiming £174,811 in expenses, of which 62% was for staff and office costs. After the 2005-06 Parliamentary session he made a public pledge to cut his expenses; during the 2006-07 session he moved down to 11th on the list of MPs' expenses and allowances, but again rose to the top for 2007-08 with £187,334. In October 2007, he claimed £180 for three oil paintings.
When asked why he had used taxpayers' funds in such a way he replied "because they look nice."
On 18 November 2010, he was arrested for failing to provide a breath test following a motoring incident in Falkirk. He pleaded guilty in court the following day and was fined £400 and banned from driving for a year.
Joyce resigned from his position as Shadow Northern Ireland Minister and apologised for his behaviour.
Joyce was arrested at 22:50 on 22th February 2012 in the Palace of Westminster by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of committing assault. He was reported to have attacked as many as six politicians, including a Labour whip, after having gone berserk following a dispute with a group of Tory MPs sitting nearby. He headbutted and punched the Conservative MP Stuart Andrew after striking Labour Assistant Whip Phil Wilson while Wilson was attempting to restrain him.
He also headbutted Thurrock Conservative councillor Ben Maney and punched Basildon Conservative Councillor Luke Mackenzie, both of whom were attempting to break up the incident. Two more Conservative MPs, Alec Shelbrooke and Jackie Doyle-Price, were also caught up in the fracas while attempting to intervene and calm Joyce down.
A door window was smashed as Joyce attempted to resist arrest before being removed by police and taken to Belgravia police station. The disturbance occurred at the Strangers' Bar (reserved for MPs and their guests).
Suspended the following day from the Labour party after his arrest, on 23rd February Joyce was charged with three counts of common assault and released on police bail. A fourth charge was added on 9th March. He was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £1,400 in compensation to his victims, but not given a custodial sentence.
In a statement before the House of Commons on 12th March 2012, Joyce apologised personally to his victims, stated that he had resigned from the Labour Party, and that he intended to complete his current term as an MP but not seek re-election.
In August 2012, Joyce was back in Court after using scissors on 4th July 2012 to remove the electronic tag that had been fitted to his leg as part of the community order.
He was fined £600.
On the 14th March 2013, Joyce was again arrested after a disturbance during a karaoke event in the sports and social bar of the House of Commons. He was seen outside the bar wrestling on the floor with two police officers and reportedly had one of the officers in a headlock.
He was not prosecuted.
On 19th May 2013, Joyce was arrested at Edinburgh Airport after police were called to an altercation between him and airline staff regarding a mislaid mobile phone. He was reported to have struggled with police officers before being restrained on the ground and handcuffed.
On 21st March 2014, he pleaded guilty to a charge of breach of the peace at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and was fined £1,500 with £150 compensation.
On 17 October 2014, Joyce was arrested after clashing with a teenager at a store in Camden, in London. He was charged with two counts of common assault and one count of criminal damage. He appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court in London on 30 December 2014, where he pleaded not guilty and was given conditional bail to appear for trial. On 1 May 2015, he was found guilty on two counts of common assault in an appearance at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London.
Ex-Labour MP sentenced for child sex offence
Eric Joyce, a former Labour MP and ex-Army officer who admitted making an indecent image of a child has been sentenced after evidence showed he had a 51-second film on a device that showed the sexual abuse of very young children at Ipswich Crown Court.
The former shadow minister and ex-MP for Falkirk was originally for this arrested for this latest offence in 2018. The court heard the category A film - the most serious there is - was accessed by Joyce between August 2013 and November 2018. It featured what appeared to be seven different children, aged between 12 months and seven years.
Judge Mr Justice Edis said "That these acts of abuse happened is because there are people like you who want to watch these films."
"If there was no market, those children wouldn't be subjected to these very serious offences."
The judge said Joyce had "sought help" and there was evidence he had been able to "reduce, perhaps completely" his "impulsive behaviour".
Michael Proctor, prosecuting, said a number of computer devices and hard drives were seized by police from Joyce's address in November 2018 following intelligence.
Initially Joyce told police "He had never seen child abuse material" Mr Proctor said.
But following analysis of his computer, Joyce told police that some of what he said "wasn't true" and that "he had seen a mixture of images".
The prosecution said there was evidence of searches "for material for five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10-year-old girls".
Joyce served as a Labour MP from 2000 to 2012, before sitting as an independent, external until 2015. He originally joined the Army in 1977 before serving for 21 years, during which he rose to the rank of major. The court heard his previous convictions included drink-driving, common assaults and a public order offence. Mitigating, Mark Shelley said Joyce had no previous convictions for sexual offences and that he had given up drinking.
Joyce, 59, of Worlingworth, Suffolk, was sentenced to eight months in prison suspended for two years, and must complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
Joyce also received a sexual harm prevention order, was given an 18-day rehabilitation activity requirement and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £1,800.