Matt Hancock feared being pushed down tube escalator, court hears

Former wellness caput Matt Hancock said helium had ne'er felt arsenic intimidated erstwhile an anti-vaccination protester accused him of murdering radical during the Covid pandemic, a tribunal has heard.

Geza Tarjanyi, 62, is accused of shoulder-barging the MP and shouting "ridiculous conspiracy theories".

He has denied causing harassment without violence.

Appearing arsenic a witness, Mr Hancock said helium feared being pushed down an escalator by the protester.

"As a nationalist figure, I can't callback a clip erstwhile I felt arsenic intimidated arsenic this," helium told Westminster Magistrates' Court.

On the archetypal juncture connected 19 January, Mr Hancock was passing an anti-vaccination protest, on with a subordinate of his staff, adjacent Parliament wherever Mr Tarjanyi filmed him.

During the five-minute interaction, Mr Tarjanyi asked the MP for West Suffolk wherefore helium had "killed truthful galore people" and shoulder-barged him, the tribunal heard.

The ex-minister said helium felt "physically intimidated" and described Mr Tarjanyi arsenic being "completely unreasonable".

He continued: "It made maine consciousness unsafe going astir my spot of work, it made maine consciousness frustrated that alternatively of engaging successful a mean debate, idiosyncratic was trying to intimidate me, I thought that was unacceptable.

"I had a beauteous bully content helium had been taken implicit by these ridiculous conspiracy theories."

Mr Hancock said 1 of the reasons helium did not study the incidental connected 19 January was due to the fact that helium did not privation "these radical with these untrue beliefs to get further publicity from harassing me".

A fewer days aboriginal connected 24 January, aft Mr Hancock had meal with the premier minister, Mr Tarjanyi followed him done Westminster underground presumption and connected to a bid for astir 10 minutes.

He again accused the MP of murdering people.

Mr Hancock said helium recognised the suspect and felt "more intimidated" due to the fact that helium was connected his ain and tried to get Transport for London (TfL) unit to intervene.

But Mr Tarjanyi began harassing "anybody who was going to travel to my aid", helium told the court.

The 44-year-old said helium stopped astatine the apical of the escalator to "resolve the situation" but felt the suspect pushing him towards it.

"Obviously I was highly disquieted astatine this time. If I had mislaid my equilibrium astatine that point, I would person tumbled down the escalator," helium said.

"I was being pushed from behind," said Mr Hancock, adding: "I had to enactment to support my equilibrium and halt myself falling down the escalator."

Both men past got connected to a Jubilee Line bid wherever Mr Tarjanyi accused the erstwhile wellness caput of "murdering millions of people" earlier they were separated astatine Bond Street station, the tribunal heard.

Footage of the 2nd incidental from the defendant's telephone showed him calling Mr Hancock a "murderous scumbag" and saying lockdown amounted to harassment of the state owed to his "lies and deceit".

Parveen Mansoor, defending, said Mr Tarjanyi denies immoderate carnal interaction and believes it was Mr Hancock who "barged into him".

Meanwhile, authoritative Nutan Fatania said Mr Hancock was "left shaken up by some incidents" and was acrophobic for his ain safety.

Mr Hancock became a household sanction during the Covid pandemic erstwhile helium regularly spoke for the authorities arsenic wellness caput nether the then-prime minister, Boris Johnson.

The pursuing twelvemonth helium was forced to resign aft images were published showing him kissing 1 of his advisers, Gina Coladangelo, who has since go his partner.

He remains suspended arsenic a Tory MP for taking clip disconnected from his parliamentary duties to look connected I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! successful November 2022.