Ex-EastEnders star Katie Jarvis admits racial harassment

Katie Jarvis, who played Hayley Slater in the BBC soap from 2018 to 2019, had previously denied the two offences.

Jarvis had been accused of shouting "black lives don't matter" at a group of four women sat outside Papillon on Marine Parade before assaulting them on July 31, 2020 – just over a month after George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sparking a wave of protests across the world.

The 30-year-old, of Rainham, east London, had been set to go on trial at Basildon Crown Court yesterday, but instead pleaded guilty to using racially aggravated harassment against Michelle Antonio after a morning of legal discussions.

Dressed in a black and white rose-print jacket, the mother-of-two had tried to avoid press cameras while entering the court.

Ex-EastEnders actor Katie Jarvis stands behind a pillar as she waits to enter Basildon Combined Court. Pic: PA

At the dock, she also admitted a charge of common assault after the court heard she spat towards a pub worker, however prosecutors admitted CCTV footage showed the spit had not landed on the victim.

Jarvis had been awaiting trial on bail for almost a year, due to backlog caused by the coronavirus pandemic; in her previous appearance at magistrates' court, the court was told by Jarvis' representation that she was acting in "self-defence".

Crown court judge Samantha Leigh bailed Jarvis to return to the court later today for sentencing (April 20).

The Dagenham-born actress landed her first gig aged 18 as a leading role in 2009 film Fish Tank – for which she won the 2010 London Film Critics’ Circle Awards Young British Performer of the Year.

Jarvis joined the EastEnders cast in 2018 as the cousin of Kat Slater, played by Jessie Wallace.

Following her one-year stint with the iconic soap opera, Jarvis took a step back from acting and began working as a security guard for retail giant B&M.