A migrant who entered the flat of a blind woman in London has been cleared of assault after police said there was insufficient evidence to pursue the case. The man, believed to be in his twenties, was arrested last year following the incident near the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf.
He was detained outside the hotel by members of the public during anti-migrant protests before officers arrested him on suspicion of common assault. Video footage circulated widely on social media showing the man being restrained and told to 'go back to the hotel'.
The woman whose home he entered was said to have been left 'traumatised' and 'feared for her life'. The man is no longer believed to be staying at the Britannia Hotel, which is located about a five-minute walk from the woman's property.
The woman's daughter, Channay Augustus, then 22, was later accused of attempting to force her way into the migrant hotel with a meat cleaver. She allegedly chased the man away before confronting a security guard and later striking a metal barrier with the blade.
Augustus admitted affray but denied threatening another person with a blade and assaulting an emergency worker. Her trial on those charges is scheduled for June.
The Britannia Hotel became a flashpoint for protests last summer after being repurposed to house migrants. The four-star hotel was closed to regular guests and converted into taxpayer-funded accommodation for illegal arrivals.
