Daughter 'tried to storm migrant hotel with a meat cleaver' after she found asylum seeker from there in her blind mother's flat 'moving his hand over his groin', court hears

Daily Mail​

3 days ago

A daughter tried to storm a migrant hotel with a meat cleaver after she found an asylum seeker in her mother's flat 'moving his hands over his groin', a court heard.
Channay Augustus, 22, is accused of being part of a group of around 20 people who tried to barge into the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf, east London, on Wednesday evening.
The trouble started when she discovered a migrant as she cleaned her blind mother's ground-floor flat, a five-minute walk away from the hotel, Thames Magistrates' Court was told.
She found the man, who was living at The Britannia Hotel nearby, 'moving his hand' over his genital area, Ms Augustus's lawyer Emma Clements said.
After chasing him away, she went to the hotel at around 6pm where she confronted a security guard who was trying her calm her down.
She returned a short time later with a meat cleaver and started banging it on a metal barrier outside the hotel, the court heard.
She also shouted 'f****** asylum seekers', JPs were told.
She was later arrested at her home.
Augustus, an events worker, broke down in tears throughout the hearing and was joined in court by a number of family members.
She is charged with possession of an offensive weapon, affray, assault on an emergency worker, common assault and possession of cannabis.
Ms Augustus's grandmother broke down in tears as District Judge Jane McIvor denied bail in the case.
During the hearing today, her lawyer indicated she would deny possession of an offensive weapon, affray, assault on an emergency worker and common assault.
She admitted one charge of possession of cannabis.
The migrant who entered her flat, who is in his early 20s, has been arrested on suspicion of assault, the Metropolitan Police said.
Augustus, of Tower Hamlets, was remanded into custody to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on September 12.
The hotel in London has been a focus of protests in recent weeks after Tower Hamlets Council confirmed it had been handed over to the Home Office to house asylum seekers.
Last week, a crowd of anti-migrant protesters descended on the hotel to be met by counter demonstrators.
Officers were seen pinning some activists on the ground, with two arrests made.
One was an anti-migrant protester who was detained after a bottle was thrown at officers.
The other was a member of the counter-protest group who was arrested for failing to remove their face covering.
Police had to rapidly mobilise to contain a group of 'anti-fascist' activists arriving at South Quay station to confront anti-migrant protesters as they held signs that said 'no human is illegal' and chanted: 'Refugees have the right - here to stay, here to fight.'
More than a hundred police officers moved to kettle the group outside the tube station for breaching the peace.