Man charged with common assault after Chris Whitty incident
- Published
Estate agent Lewis Hughes in video footage from the incident on Sunday evening
A man has been charged with common assault after England's chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty was accosted by a group of men in a London park.
Lewis Hughes, 23, of Wigton Way in Romford, east London, was charged on Thursday over the incident, which took place on Sunday, the Met Police said.
Officers spoke to the victim, who had not suffered any injuries, and checked his welfare, the force added.
They then reviewed video footage that emerged later.
Mr Hughes was charged by postal requisition and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 30 July.
"At approximately 19:20hrs on Sunday, 27 June officers in St James's Park became aware of a man being accosted by a group of men," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
"Officers subsequently reviewed video footage which emerged after the incident and the matter was referred to the Public Order Crime Team. Enquiries continue."
A video of the incident had been widely shared on social media.
Mr Hughes previously apologised for any "upset" caused and said he had lost his job as an estate agent over the incident.
"If I made [Prof Whitty] feel uncomfortable, which it does look like I did, then I am sorry to him for that," he told the Sun.
Police previously said that when they spoke to Prof Whitty at the time he did not wish to make any allegations.
It was not the first time Prof Whitty has been filmed being confronted by a member of the public.
Earlier this month, a man in Oxford accused him of lying to the public about coronavirus, while in February a man accosted the chief medical officer in Westminster.
And a group of people gathered outside what was apparently Prof Whitty's London flat on Saturday, chanting and shouting.
Who is Prof Chris Whitty?
Prof Chris Whitty (left) has regularly appeared alongside the PM at televised Covid briefings
Since the start of the coronavirus crisis, he has been front and centre of the UK's decision-making and communication of messages to the public.
He took on the chief medical officer role in October 2019, and until the coronavirus threat emerged, had never done broadcast interviews or held press briefings or conferences.
One of the country's foremost experts in infectious diseases, he has worked as a doctor in Africa and Asia, as well as the UK.
He continues to practise medicine at University College London Hospitals, where he was spotted doing a shift over Christmas.
His mother was a teacher and his father was a diplomat who was murdered by terrorists in Greece after they flagged him down in his car in 1984.
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- Published17 March 2020
