A person accused of assaulting Professor Chris Whitty in a London park demanded that England’s chief medical officer ought to seem at his trial.
Jonathan Chew, 24, made the declare whereas attending Westminster Magistrates’ Court docket by videolink from his bed room and sporting a dressing robe, after saying he had examined optimistic for coronavirus.
He and Lewis Hughes, 23, filmed themselves accosting Professor Whitty and demanding a selfie as he walked by way of St James’ Park on 27 June.
Hughes misplaced his job as an property agent and was given a suspended sentence of eight weeks in jail after admitting frequent assault in July.
Mr Chew, who denies frequent assault and obstructing police after allegedly giving his brother’s identify to officers, attended a court docket listening to on Tuesday.
However the trial needed to be postponed till 4 January after Mr Chew was unable to see proof through the videolink, with Decide Paul Goldspring saying: “There does come some extent, whether or not or not Mr Chew can or can’t see [the footage], that the proceedings turn out to be a little bit of a farce.”
Forward of the listening to, Mr Chew’s lawyer Peter Fallen instructed the court docket he was withdrawing from the case as a result of he was “professionally embarrassed,” however Decide Goldspring initially allowed the trial to proceed after Mr Chew mentioned he was blissful to proceed with out illustration.
The decide had mentioned to Mr Chew: “You’ll most likely prefer to be represented at your trial”, to which the defendant responded: “It’s a difficult query, that one.”
He added: “Me, Mr Jonathan Chew, doesn’t need to be represented.”
Mr Chew, of Parkland Means in Chelmsford, grew to become more and more exasperated throughout the listening to, and insisted that Professor Whitty needs to be at court docket, saying: “The legislation is that I’ve the fitting for him to come back … I would like Chris Whitty there.”
Decide Goldspring defined that Professor Whitty doesn’t legally must attend court docket because the details have been agreed between the prosecution and defence, which means there isn’t a cause for the defence to cross-examine him.
“I believe I do know a bit in regards to the legislation than you do,” the decide mentioned.
The decide added that it was not sensible to have Professor Whitty in court docket as a result of present nationwide disaster sparked by the emergence of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
Mr Chew examined optimistic for coronavirus 5 days earlier than Tuesday’s listening to, Mr Fallen mentioned, including: “I’m unsure if it was a PCR check or a fuller check than that. We had been issued with two NHS brand paperwork.”
However Daniel O’Donoghue, prosecuting, questioned the veracity of the doc and mentioned that the police have been making an attempt to make enquiries however the NHS refused to share confidential data with them.
When police went to his tackle to see if he was isolating, his brother’s girlfriend answered the door and mentioned he was not dwelling there and she or he was not conscious that he had coronavirus, the court docket heard. “It does seem he’s in breach of bail situations,” Mr O’Donoghue mentioned.
Mr Chew, who at one level might be seen leaving the room in his dressing robe, instructed the court docket on Tuesday: “I truly have gotten corona. I’m unwell. Very unwell … I’m sizzling and sweating. I’m delirious”, including: “You are the decide, not me.”
“That is very sort of you to say, Mr Chew,” Decide Goldspring mentioned, to which Mr Chew replied: “Thanks.”
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He grew to become more and more agitated, at one level accusing the decide of not listening to him and calling him “a liar.”
Decide Goldspring mentioned: “Your cavalier strategy to the severity of those proceedings is breath-taking”, prompting Mr Chew to interject: “What does cavalier imply?”
“Let me end,” mentioned Decide Goldspring. “I’m totally glad that you simply’re not so unwell you can’t take part in your trial.”
Nonetheless, Mr Chew was later unable to see CCTV footage of the alleged assault which the prosecution wished to current over videolink, regardless of makes an attempt by Mr O’Donoghue to face on a chair holding his laptop computer as much as the digicam.
Decide Goldspring, who rose for 10 minutes whereas court docket workers tried to indicate Mr Chew the footage, mentioned: “The truth is I don’t assume we will correctly have a trial within the sensible circumstances we now have.”
Mr Chew was tasked with discovering himself new authorized illustration forward of the rescheduled listening to at Westminster Justice of the Peace’s Court docket, which he was instructed he should attend in individual.
“You must get authorized recommendation and you must safe illustration however let me make it clear to you that in the event you haven’t I’m afraid it’ll be robust since you’ve received loads of time to take action,” the decide mentioned.
