Piers Corbyn 'disregarded police advice at lockdown protest'

Piers Corbyn is accused of breaching restrictions at protests in Hyde Park

Piers Corbyn addressed crowds at two anti-lockdown protests in London and was "non-compliant" when officers asked him to leave, a court has heard.

The 73-year-old, of East Street, Southwark, is accused of breaching restrictions at protests in Hyde Park.

The court was told Mr Corbyn had "disregarded advice and directions from police" who then arrested him.

He denies two counts of participating in a gathering in public of more than two people during the Covid emergency.

Westminster Magistrates' Court heard that the two gatherings near Speakers Corner in Hyde Park on May 16 and May 30 were attended by 100 or more people and could be characterised as being "anti-lockdown".

Prosecutor David Povall said on both occasions Mr Corbyn took part in the protests by "addressing the gathering and encouraging by his presence and his actions others to gather around him to listen to what he was saying".

Mr Corbyn addressed supporters who gathered outside the court

The court was told that officers had been following a "light-touch policing" approach and had tried not to use enforcement action.

He said the 73-year-old, who is the brother of Labour's former leader Jeremy Corbyn, had "disregarded advice and directions from police over a sustained period".

Body-worn police camera footage from the gathering on 16 May was played in court and showed Mr Corbyn using a megaphone to claim that Covid-19 "is not a pandemic".

He could also be heard telling an officer to "stop interrupting me" when he was spoken to.

Giving evidence, PC Necla Diker said she had arrested Mr Corbyn as a "last resort" after failing to get his details to issue a fixed penalty notice.

She said there was a large number of people around her and she "felt that if I didn't enforce the arrest, things would get out of hand".

When Mr Corbyn's lawyer, Ben Cooper QC, accused her of not following guidance about engaging with protesters, she replied: "I don't accept that."

"I tried to speak to Mr Corbyn, I tried to explain what I was doing, I wasn't getting anywhere," she said.

The trial will continue on 2 December.