Man Gets Suspended Jail Term For Assaulting England's Medical Officer

Estate agent Lewis Hughes pleaded guilty to assaulting Chris Whitty last month and was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for two years.

A man was handed a suspended prison term and ordered to pay £100 ($139, 117 euros) in compensation on Friday for assaulting England's chief medical officer. Estate agent Lewis Hughes, 24, pleaded guilty to assaulting Chris Whitty last month and was sentenced to eight weeks in prison, suspended for two years. Senior crown prosecutor Kalsoom Shah called it "a completely unacceptable act", called Hughes' behaviour "shocking and disgraceful" and said it showed "little regard" for Whitty and broke social distancing rules in place at the time. Whitty has become one of Britain's most recognisable public faces during the pandemic as a key adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and regularly appears at televised government coronavirus briefings.