Man charged with alleged racial abuse of BBC reporter

A man has denied racially abusing a BBC reporter during an attempted broadcast in Leicester about the coronavirus.

Russell Rawlingson, 50, pleaded not guilty at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to causing racially aggravated alarm or distress to journalist Sima Kotecha.

The reporter said she and her team abandoned the planned show in Leicester city center on Sunday night after being subjected to “racist and abusive behaviour”.

She was scheduled to interview people on Sunday night after Boris Johnson’s announcement of easing the UK’s coronavirus lockdown.

The segment was canceled and the incident was reported to the police.

Rawlingson, of Glenfield Road, Leicester, was granted conditional bail pending a preliminary hearing at the city’s crown court on June 15.

Rawlingson was arrested on Monday night, Leicestershire Police said, and later charged.

Kotecha posted about the alleged incident on Twitter.

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On Monday, she wrote: “Thanks for all the kind messages – the team and guests are fine.”

In June 2016, following the EU referendum, Kotecha said she was subjected to racist abuse in her hometown.

In a tweet on Sunday evening, the BBC said it had reported the incident to the police.

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