A woman has been charged with trying to force her way into a hotel housing migrants with an offensive weapon after one of the hotel’s residents allegedly walked into her blind mother’s east London flat, a court has heard.
A man in his early twenties has also been arrested on suspicion of assault, the Metropolitan Police said.
At the time of the alleged incident on Wednesday evening, the man was living at the four-star Britannia Hotel on the Isle of Dogs. Police said he was no longer staying there.
Police at the hotel in July
CARL COURT/GETTY IMAGES
Thames magistrates’ court was told that Channay Augustus, 22, had chased the migrant away after discovering him inside her mother’s flat, a five-minute walk away from the Britannia.
A man was detained by members of the public nearby but was not immediately arrested because police said their initial investigation had not identified any offences. After checking CCTV and speaking to witnesses, officers arrested a man in the Hackney area on suspicion of common assault in the early hours of Friday. He remains in police custody.
During a hearing on Friday, Augustus’s lawyer indicated she would deny possession of an offensive weapon, affray, assault on an emergency worker and common assault. She admitted possession of cannabis.
Augustus, of Tower Hamlets, was remanded into custody to appear at Snaresbrook crown court on September 12.
The Britannia has been the focus of protests in recent weeks after the council said the Home Office planned to use it to house asylum seekers.
Tower Hamlets council said: “We are aware of the government’s decision to use the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.
“It is important that the government ensures that there is a full package of support for those staying at the hotel. We are working with the Home Office and partners to make sure that all necessary safety and safeguarding arrangements are in place.”