‘THREATENING’ MAN FORCED BBC TO STOP CITY FILMING
TV JOURNALIST HAD TO STOP HER LIVE SEGMENT DUE TO DISRUPTION
A TELEVISION journalist was forced to cancel her part in a national broadcast about the lockdown when a verbally abusive man interrupted filming in Leicester’s city centre.
Sima Kotecha was due to appear live on BBC One, following an announcement on a change in the coronavirus lockdown rules by Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, on Sunday, May 10 last year.
She was due to interview people for their reaction, as part of a special news programme, but her segment was hastily cancelled because of the disruption, by 51-year-old Russell Rawlingson.
In a post on Twitter afterwards, Ms Kotecha, 40, said: “Apologies to our guests who we had to send home without putting on air after myself and team were subjected to racist and abusive behaviour - sad obstruction of reporting of a national crisis.
“Yes I’m furious.”
Rawlingson was arrested and charged with intentional racially aggravated harassment, which he denied.
When he was due to stand trial at Leicester Crown Court on Monday, April 12, Rawlingson pleaded guilty to a less serious alternative count of threatening behaviour - without any racial element - which was accepted by the prosecutor, Philip Plant, who liaised with Ms Kotecha about the decision not to pursue a trial and she was said to agree.
Monday’s hearing could not be reported immediately because of press restrictions, as Rawlingson was due to face two further trials on unrelated other offences.
But the defendant returned to the crown court on Tuesday to admit all the outstanding offences and the judge lifted the reporting ban.
Rawlingson, of Glenfield Road, Leicester, entered guilty pleas to possessing a bladed article, a knife, in a public place, Aikman Avenue, New Parks, in the city, on Saturday June 20 last year.
He also admitted common assault upon an emergency worker, Pc Christopher Webster, on Saturday October 10 and threatening behaviour, with intent to cause or provoke unalwful violence, on the same date.
The defendant’s barrister, James Armstrong-Holmes, said Rawlingson was initially remanded into custody but had since been transferred from prison to a mental health facility at St Andrew’s Hospital, Northampton, where he is currently detained under the Mental Health Act - although he was considered fit enough to stand trial.
The barrister added that a psychiatric report on his client was not recommending a hospital order disposal, as there could be “other services available [to treat him] in the community.”
Judge Ebrahim Mooncey adjourned the hearing for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.
He told the defendant: “All sentencing options remain open.”
Rawlingson also admitted a cannabis possession charge at an earlier magistrates’ court hearing, which was committed for sentence and will be dealt with at the same time he is sentenced for all matters, next month.