Footage has emerged of Professor Chris Whitty being manhandled by two men in the street.
Get more on this story: https://t.co/52fhwoexOm pic.twitter.com/7Ve3Dc5KCJ
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 29, 2021
Remember earlier this year when Chris Whitty couldn’t go anywhere without being jumped on and harassed? Well one of the lads in the video above has appeared in court charged with ‘assaulting’ the UK’s chief medical advisor, only he had COVID-19 so turned up via video link from his bed wearing a dressing gown.
Jonathan Chew, 24, denied common assault and obstructing police, but was coughing all throughout the hearing and apparently felt too unwell to continue with proceedings.
Daniel O’Donoghue, prosecuting, questioned the authenticity of the documents confirming Chew’s positive test results but the trial was postponed regardless.
In fact before the hearing even began, Chew’s solicitor told the court he was withdrawing from the case because he felt ‘professionally embarrassed’. He told the court:
I am no longer able to continue to represent Mr Chew, I’m sorry to tell you, for professional reasons.
Which kinda makes sense when you look at this following exchange between Jonathan Chew and the judge. Chew had demanded that Chris Whitty should be forced to attend the court too, saying:
The law is that I have the right for him to come. I want Chris Whitty there.
Judge Paul Goldspring responded ‘I suspect I know a bit [more] about the law than you do’, explaining that Professor Whitty does not legally have to attend court as the facts have been agreed between the prosecution and defence, meaning there is no reason for the defence to cross-examine Professor Whitty.
Chew, who argued that he was just being ‘playful’ with Whitty, replied:
You’re getting it all wrong. I’ve been in court. I’ve agreed that Chris Whitty has to be in court
I feel like I’m innocent. I’m answering an assault charge which I don’t think I’ve done.
On Chew’s COVID symptoms suddenly clearing up as he made his case, Judge Goldspring quipped:
A remarkable recovery, I might say, from where you were two minutes ago.
To which Chew replied:
You’re not listening to me. I’ve got diagnosed coronavirus. Are you saying corona is not real now? I feel like what you’re doing now is victimising me. You’re calling me a liar.
Judge Goldspring said calmly:
Your cavalier approach to the severity of these proceedings is breath-taking.
Chew interjected:
What does cavalier mean?
Top level trolling there. Despite the judge being less than convinced by Chew’s COVID diagnosis, the trial had to be postponed until 4 January 2022 because Chew was unable to see the CCTV evidence via the video link. Until then he’s on conditional bail and has to now find new legal representation after his lawyer gave up on him.
Here’s some more quotes from the case as shared by MailOnline:
‘I actually have got Corona. I’m ill. Very ill,’ said Chew. ‘I’m hot and sweating. I’m delirious.’
‘You’re the judge not me,’ he added.
‘That’s very kind of you to say Mr Chew,’ said Judge Goldspring.
Thank you,’ Chew replied.
Throughout the hearing Chew became increasingly agitated and stated everyone in the court was victimising him.
He said: ‘Is this the Freemasons? Is there someone leaning on my solicitor? Is it a conspiracy theory? This is sad.’
At one stage he could be seen leaving the room in his dressing gown.
‘Judge, I’m delusional right now,’ he repeated. ‘I feel like I’m going to faint and all that stuff, judge.’
Too funny. As for the other lad in the video – Lewis Hughes – the 23-year-old lost his job as an estate agent after his employer saw the footage and was handed an eight-week jail term suspended for two years after admitting common assault.
I’ve got a feeling Jonathan Chew will bring the jokes again when his trial resumes in January. He’ll have to physically attend court too so that probably won’t work too well in his favour. Chances he gets COVID all over again? Wouldn’t put it past him.
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