POLICE have today charged a sacked estate agent over a video that showed Chris Whitty being manhandled.

Lewis Hughes, 23, had taken part in an anti-lockdown rally when he approached England's Chief Medical Officer on Sunday.

Footage showed him and a pal grabbing Professor Whitty and appearing to put him in a headlock as he tried to escape.

Hughes has now been charged with common assault and will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on July 30.

It is not clear if his pal will be facing any police action.

Scotland Yard said: "Detectives investigating an incident that took place in St James's Park on Sunday, 27 June have charged a man.

"At approximately 19:20hrs on Sunday, 27 June officers in St James’s Park became aware of a man being accosted by a group of men.

"They spoke to the victim and checked his welfare. He had not suffered any injuries.

Officers subsequently reviewed video footage which emerged after the incident and the matter was referred to the Public Order Crime Team. Enquiries continue."

Hughes, who worked for Caplen Estates Agents, lost his job after his boss saw the footage.

And he apologised for his actions – saying he paid the price with his "job".

He added: “I absolutely apologise for any upset I caused.

“If I made him feel uncomfortable, which it does look like I did, then I am sorry to him for that.

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“He is quite a timid, shy person and I think that is why he didn’t say, ‘Get off me’. If he had said that and I had realised how he felt, I wouldn’t have put my arm round him."

The video was sparked outrage after it appeared on Twitter – with Boris Johnson branding the pair "despicable thugs".

There were also calls to provide Professor Whitty, who has been viewed as a safe pair of hands during the pandemic, with police protection.

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