Portsmouth man appears in court accused of attacking left-wing journalist and activist Owen Jones
A Portsmouth man is one of three to have appeared in court charged with attacking the left-wing journalist and activist Owen Jones during his birthday night out.
Charlie Ambrose, 30, James Healy, 40, and Liam Tracey, 34, did not enter pleas when they appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on Tuesday morning.
The trio are charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) and affray in the early hours of August 17 this year outside The Lexington pub in Islington, north London.
Prosecutors say Mr Jones, 35, suffered cuts and swelling to his back, a head wound and bruises all down his body after he was set upon as part of a ‘group attack’ allegedly motivated by Guardian columnist Mr Jones's ‘political and sexual views’.
The court heard Mr Jones was allegedly ‘karate kicked’ in the back by one of the defendants.
Mr Jones, described by prosecutor Chiran Mondal as a ‘left wing campaigner for LGBT rights’, was not present in court for the short hearing.
Ambrose, Healy and Tracey, of Brighton, Portsmouth and Camden, respectively, spoke only to confirm their name, address, date of birth and nationality as ‘white British’.
They were released on bail by district judge Gill Allison to appear at a Snaresbrook Crown Court on December 4.