Two charged following Epping asylum hotel protests

LocalPolitics
30 Aug 2025 • 9:05 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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  • Two men have been charged following protests outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping, Essex, with a third man remaining in custody.
  • Ross Ellis, 49, was charged with failing to provide a specimen, and Jimmy Hillard, 52, was charged with assaulting an emergency worker.
  • Assistant Chief Constable Glen Pavelin of Essex Police stated that the right to protest does not include the right to commit crime.
  • The Bell Hotel in Epping has been a focal point for protests after an asylum seeker there was charged with sexual assault, though the hotel and Home Office recently won a legal challenge to house 138 asylum seekers.
  • Similar protests occurred near the Delta Marriott hotel in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, with Broxbourne Council expressing concerns and planning legal action to seek its closure for housing asylum seekers.

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