Chris Whitty assault: Man jailed for eight weeks over attack
- Published
Jonathan Chew arriving at Westminster Magistrates' Court
A man has been jailed for eight weeks after he accosted Prof Sir Chris Whitty in a central London park.
Jonathan Chew, 24, and Lewis Hughes, 24, approached England's chief medical officer in St James's Park in June 2021.
Appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court, Chew, from Chelmsford, Essex, pleaded guilty to a charge of intending to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Hughes was previously sentenced for assault by beating.
Chew was also given a two-week jail term having pleaded guilty to wilful obstruction of a police officer, to run concurrently, and ordered to pay £1,058 in costs and compensation.
During sentencing, district judge Paul Goldspring said Sir Chris had responded to "an unprecedented crisis" throughout the pandemic with "great dignity and great professionalism", and was entitled to go about his daily life.
"You had a significant, I go as far as to say, an appalling criminal record," he told Chew.
Mr Goldspring said he also wanted to create a "deterrent" to stop people accosting those who do not choose to be in the public eye.
Sir Chris was not injured in the assault
He told the defendant - who responded to the costs announcement by saying "that's peanuts" - he had been given full credit for pleading guilty.
He also said he accepted that Chew had not initially intended to be hostile and understood he suffered from learning difficulties, mental health issues and autism.
While sentencing was taking place, Mr Goldspring had to interrupt proceedings to ask him to stop vaping.
"Your contempt for these proceedings and this court have been breath-taking throughout the process," the district judge said.
As Chew was led out of the dock, he began to sing "West Ham 'til I die" loudly.
Prosecution barrister Iestyn Morgan earlier told the court Chew started filming Sir Chris on his phone while Hughes grabbed him in a headlock.
The footage, lasting about 20 seconds, was widely shared on social media and showed the pair jeering as Sir Chris attempted to break free.
England's chief medical officer was not injured in the attack which happened on 27 June 2021.
The court was also told Chew gave the name and old address of his brother Aaron Chew to PC Steven Ozden.
"This did cause a waste of police resources," Mr Morgan said.
He said police attended the address on 1 July to discover a man called Harry now lived at the property. Officers were later able to identify that Jonathan Chew was the suspect after he provided comments about the incident to The Sun newspaper.
The court also heard Chew had at least 26 previous convictions including public order offences.
Mr Morgan said the defendant had been on licence having been released from custody in July 2020 and argued that this was an aggravating factor.
Jonathan Chew leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court in January 2021
Rabah Kherbane, defending, told the court Chew had not been at a demonstration but "was simply out with a friend and it was just a chance encounter". He added that Sir Chris had not been targeted for his views on the pandemic.
But the district judge said prosecutors now accepted that Sir Chris was not targeted because of his views, but "Mr Whitty was targeted because he was someone in the public eye".
Mr Kherbane said Chew was "happy and smiley" in the video, showing he was "genuinely excited" and was not intending to humiliate Sir Chris at the time.
He also argued that the 24-year-old had learning difficulties, "intellectual difficulties" and "delayed maturity", and that he often became "frustrated" when trying to communicate with others.
"He understands that what he has done is wrong and unacceptable," he added.
Hughes, from Wigton Way in Romford, east London, was sentenced in July 2021 to an eight-week suspended jail sentence and £100 fine.
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