Ex-EastEnders star Katie Jarvis, 29, yelled ‘black lives don’t matter’ and ‘I’m a celebrity’ before slapping 11-year-old girl during ‘racist’ rampage on Essex seafront, court hears
- The actress faces charges including assault and racially aggravated harassment
- Prosecutors said she became embroiled in multiple altercations on July 31, 2020
- Jarvis, who played Hayley Slater in soap, indicated she would plead not guilty
Former EastEnders star Katie Jarvis yelled ‘black lives don’t matter’ and ‘I am a celebrity’ before slapping a child during a ‘racist’ seaside rampage, a court heard yesterday.
The soap actress, 29, faces charges of assault, racially aggravated harassment, using threatening words or behaviour, assault by beating a woman and assault by beating an 11-year-old-girl.
Prosecutors said she became embroiled in multiple altercations in the Essex seaside resort of Southend-on-Sea on July 31 last year.
Jarvis, who played Hayley Slater in the soap, indicated she would plead not guilty during an appearance at Southend Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
EastEnders star Katie Jarvis yelled ‘black lives don’t matter’ and ‘I am a celebrity’ before slapping a child during a ‘racist’ seaside rampage, a court heard
Prosecutors said she became embroiled in multiple altercations in the Essex seaside resort of Southend-on-Sea on July 31 last year (scene pictured)
Wearing a black coat and a face mask, she spoke to confirm her name and age, and her decision to be tried before a crown court jury.
Ashley Petchey, prosecuting, said: ‘This concerns Miss Jarvis who has come to Southend-on-Sea.
‘Over the course of three hours, she has committed racially aggravated offences on a number of different people.’
He said she got into a row with four women outside Papillon’s bar on the seafront.
Later she hurled abuse outside a takeaway and then when she was refused entry to a seafront hotel became abusive before slapping an 11-year-old girl, the court was told.
Tahmina Majid, representing Jarvis, told the court she intended to plead not guilty to the charges and that she was the victim, acting in self-defence.
She said: ‘She is a victim abused and attacked and that she acted in self-defence in relation to all the charges.’
Jarvis, who played Hayley Slater in the soap (pictured), indicated she would plead not guilty during an appearance at Southend Magistrates’ Court yesterday
Jarvis, of Rainham in Essex, will next appear in court on May 13.
District Judge Timonthy King said: ‘I allocate your case to Basildon Crown Court.
‘Your next hearing will be four weeks from today at Basildon Crown Court for a plea hearing and preparation hearing on May 13.’
Despite having no acting experience, she made her debut in 2009 starring in the lead role of Mia in the critically acclaimed film Fish Tank.
Jarvis joined the Eastenders cast in 2018 as the cousin of Kat Slater [Jessie Wallace].
One of her storylines saw her have an affair with Kat’s husband Alfie Moon [Shane Richie] while they lived in Spain with Kat and their children.
Hayley then fell pregnant, giving birth to daughter Cherry.
Jarvis’s character was last seen on screen in February 2019 when Stacey Fowler, played by Lacey Turner, went to hospital to collect her after treatment for her mental health.