TWO men filmed themselves grabbing Prof Chris Whitty in a headlock and pushing him into a London street.

In the footage, the men can be seen approaching the top medic before suddenly grabbing him around his shoulders.

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Who harassed Professor Chris Whitty?

The two men who appear to harass Chris Whitty have been named a Lewis Hughes and Jonathan Chew.

Upsetting footage showed the professor's face turn red with the effort of trying to free himself from their clutches.

They then yell "oi-oi" while poking their tongues out at the camera.

Prof Whitty manages to briefly steer clear of their grasping hands, while they yell more unintelligible comments.

Lewis Hughes

Estate agent Lewis Hughes was among those thought to attack the professor on the street – and has ultimately paid the price, job-wise.

The 24-year-old has now been sacked by Caplen Estates following the incident.

On Wednesday, June 30,  boxing enthusiast Hughes apologised through The Sun and said: “I’ve paid the price with my job.”

He told how the friends had been on an anti-vax march in London on Sunday, June 27, when they spotted Prof Whitty, 55, at about 3pm in St James’s Park.

They filmed the encounter — with the 18-second clip sparking outrage when it went online and was viewed around the world.

Hughes, who worked for Caplen Estates Agents, admitted having a couple of drinks first.

He said: “I absolutely apologise for any upset I caused.

“If I made him feel uncomfortable, which it does look like I did, then I am sorry to him for that.

“He is quite a timid, shy person and I think that is why he didn’t say, ‘Get off me’. If he had said that and I had realised how he felt, I wouldn’t have put my arm round him.

“To be honest I just wanted a selfie with Chris Whitty to show my mum. There was no malicious intent, I didn’t want to upset him.

"I put my arm around him but he started moving away so my arm ended up going around his neck more.”

He went on: “I feel very let down by Boris, for him to call me a thug. I actually voted for him as well.

“I have worked every day of my life since I left college, I have never been in any trouble. Now I have to start from the beginning again and I loved my job.”

Cops charged Hughes on July 2 with common assault and will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on July 30.

Scotland Yard said: "Detectives investigating an incident that took place in St James's Park on Sunday, 27 June have charged a man.

"At approximately 19.20hrs on Sunday, 27 June officers in St James’s Park became aware of a man being accosted by a group of men.

"They spoke to the victim and checked his welfare. He had not suffered any injuries.

"Officers subsequently reviewed video footage which emerged after the incident and the matter was referred to the Public Order Crime Team. Enquiries continue."

Jonathan Chew

Lewis' friend Jonathan Chew, also 24, was the other person named as as a possible person involved.

Jonathan revealed that he suffers from ADHD and autism where "sometimes things seem a good idea and really they're not".

He added: "I don't think we did anything wrong. We just saw him and thought 'That's the guy from the TV. He's famous'.

"We didn't cause any harm to him. We just wanted a selfie."

When did the 'attack' happen?

The event happened on Sunday, June 27, according to the Met Police.

The force said it was aware of the footage and had launched a probe into the incident.

A spokesperson said: "Officers spoke to all those involved at the time and their details were taken.

"We are in contact with the victim and the circumstances continue to be investigated."

What has Professor Chris Whitty said about the incident?

Professor Whitty hasn't spoken publicly about the incident, though he reportedly has said he did not want to make a formal complaint.

Many people have showed their support for him and their disgust at the way he was harassed.

Piers Morgan was among the string of Brits to slam the confrontation.

He tweeted that it was "disgusting" after the footage was shared online.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson slammed the "despicable harassment" of the professor.

He tweeted: "I condemn the behaviour of these thugs.

"Our hard-working public servants should not have to face this kind of intimidation on our streets and we will not tolerate it."

Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was "horrified" and called for them to be charged.

New Health Secretary Sajid Javid added his voice to the condemnation, branding the incident "appalling and totally unacceptable".

He tweeted: "The CMO works tirelessly on behalf of the country. We will not tolerate this sort of behaviour towards our public servants.

"The men behaving in this disgraceful way should be ashamed."

Schools minister Nick Gibb was asked about the incident on the BBC's Today programme and slammed it as "absolutely appalling".

Meanwhile Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi blasted: "This is disgusting and these thugs must be found and charged. Zero tolerance for harassing a public servant."

Other unimpressed Brits were quick to slam their actions – while writing their support for the Covid expert.

A concerned Owen Thomas urged: "My blood is boiling. Involve the police. Now."

Another man tweeted that the idiots' actions were "gross, he looks clearly uncomfortable", while one Brit said it was "shocking".

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