EastEnders actress Katie Jarvis appears in court

EastEnders star Katie Jarvis allegedly yelled “Black lives don’t matter” as she went on a seaside rampage, a court was told.

The actress – who is known for playing Hayley Slater on the BBC soap – is facing 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.

The 29-year-old appeared at Southend Magistrates' Court this week and indicated that she would plead not guilty.

Jarvis, who joined the cast of EastEnders in 2018, is accused of being involved in a series of incidents at Southend-on-Sea in July last year.

She is alleged to have shouted "Black lives don't matter" and "I was on EastEnders, I am a celebrity”.

Prosecutor Ashley Petchey said: "Over the course of three hours, she has committed racially aggravated offences on a number of different people."

He said she got into an altercation with four women outside a seafront bar.

Later, she is said to have 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 that 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, of Rainham in Essex, will next appear in court on May 13.

District Judge Timonthy King allocated her case to Basildon Crown Court.

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