One of the men who harassed England’s Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty on Sunday has been charged, the Metropolitan police said on Friday.
The man, 23-year old Lewis Hughes, was charged on Thursday evening with common assault. The Met said Hughes was charged by postal requisition and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on July 30.
The Met also said that enquiries into the incident continue.
At one point one of them can be heard saying, “One photo please?”
The Met has previously said officers nearby intervened when they saw the incident, and the men had been “robustly warned about their behaviour and ordered to leave the area.”
Whitty didn’t suffer any injuries and told officers at the scene that he didn’t want to make any allegations before leaving.
The former estate agent also said he had lost his job after the video went viral and prompted widespread criticism, including from the prime minister, who called the two men “thugs.”
But his friend Jonathon Chew, who was also in the video, was less repentant, according to The Sun.
His friend Chew, who has autism and ADHD, told the newspaper that he didn’t think they did anything wrong.
It is the third time that footage of Whitty apparently being harassed has surfaced on social media, prompting questions over whether he should be assigned personal protection.