Matt Hancock shoulder-barged and left ‘shaken up’ by anti-vaxxer, court hears

Matt Hancock was shoulder-barged and left “shaken up” by an anti-vaccination protester who accused him of murdering people during the coronavirus pandemic, a court has heard.

Geza Tarjanyi, 62, of Leyland in Lancashire, who has denied causing harassment without violence to the former health secretary, is accused of shouting “ridiculous conspiracy theories” on two separate occasions on January 19 and 24.

On the first occasion, close to Parliament, Mr Hancock was “accosted” by Tarjanyi, who made physical contact, aggressively questioned him and verbally abused him.

Nutan Fatania, prosecuting, said Mr Hancock passed an anti-vaccination protest before Tarjanyi filmed him, asked him why he had “killed so many people” and shoulder-barged him.

A few days later Tarjanyi followed Mr Hancock through Westminster underground station and onto a train where he again accused the MP of murdering people, it was alleged.

Ms Fatania said: “Mr Hancock felt shaken up by both incidents and concerned for his personal safety.”

Mr Hancock, giving evidence, said: “I had a pretty good impression he had been taken over by these ridiculous conspiracy theories.”

Parveen Mansoor, defending, said Tarjanyi denies any physical contact and believes it was Mr Hancock who “barged into him”.

She added: “He denies assaulting him in any way shape or form.”

Mr Hancock, 44, was health secretary when the coronavirus pandemic struck and was a key figure in the lockdown restrictions and vaccine rollout that followed.

He resigned after leaked CCTV images showed him kissing an adviser in his office, in breach of his own social distancing guidance.

Mr Hancock later angered colleagues and constituents by flying to the Australian jungle to appear on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! in November 2022.

Having been stripped of the Conservative whip over the appearance, he said he will not contest his seat at the next election when he will step down.

The trial continues.