UCL Prof Who Has Fathered 58 Children Via Sperm Donations Denies Molesting Three 'Customers'

A professor, who claims he has fathered 58 children via his "one stop shop" insemination service, preyed on the desperation of three wannabe mums by sexually assaulting them during his consultations, a court heard today.

Professor Gennadij Raivich, 51, a perinatal neuroscientist at University College London told one victim she had to repeatedly perform oral sex on him to obtain the samples she craved, the Blackfriars Crown Court jury were told.

Raivich, of Rashleigh House, Thanet Street, St. Pancras carried a "donation kit" which contained a dvd player, which he watched pornography on, rubber gloves and a speculum and pipette and was happy to carry-out home visits all over the country.

Prosecutor Mr. Tom Wilkins said: "Each complainant in this case is a woman who met the defendant through an internet forum dedicated to sperm donation.

"He provided a one stop shop for women who wanted semen. All were desperate to have a baby."

His service was informal and did not conform to the guidelines of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and he often used the pseudonym Frank Qualman, the court was told.

Two of the women, both aged 26, were in lesbian relationships and the third, 31, was single and Raivich told her that her chances of becoming pregnant were increased if she orgasmed during the insemination process.

"The defendant met these women in order to inseminate them. He took advantage of their desperation, his anonymity and informality by committing various types of sexual assaults upon them," added Mr. Wilkins.

The prosecution accept Raivich is a qualified doctor in Germany, but has always been an academic scientist and has never practiced medicine and is not registered with the General Medical Council.

"On the websites he advertises his services as a sperm diner and represents himself as a: 'Medical doctor based in Central London' providing a service called Intra-Cervical Insemination or ICI."

The first victim - a lesbian - saw Raivich on February 27, 2012 when "wholly gratuitously and without warning" he inserted two to three of this fingers into her vagina for three to five seconds, the jury were told.

"Such was her desperation to have a baby she returned ten times to his Russell Square address."

He persuaded the single woman to provide what he called: "Artificial Insemination Plus" - namely oral sex to assist him provide the sample.

"She says she was faced with the ultimatum that unless she performed oral sex on him she would not get a donation. She was desperate for a baby and agreed."

Raivich also groped her between her legs during the sessions. "He told her an orgasm would help her conceive.

"She told him three or four times not to touch her there, but he went ahead regardless and now he says he can't recall stimulating her in this way.

"He was not the altruistic donor, but someone who is sexually-motivated," Mr. Wilkins told the jury. 

"She was desperate for a baby and returned a week later for a donation in return for performing oral sex on him and felt she had to put up with it, she had been trying for a baby for a year."

The third victim was visited by Raivich at her home in Great Yarmouth and on the second occasion sexually assaulted her, she says.

"He lifted up her t-shirt and groped her breasts and put two fingers into her vagina and rubbed her clitoris without consent.

"He says he checked her breasts to test her fertility."

Raivich has pleaded not guilty to assault by digital penetration in relation to the first woman; one count of assault by penetration and sexual assault against the second on November 21, 2012 and two counts of assault by penetration and two counts of sexual assault on November 27.

He also denies two counts of sexual assault against the third woman on January 31, last year and assault by penetration on the same date.

Trial continues……………

Paedophile Couple Jailed For Sex Abuse Of Young Girl

A paedophile couple were exposed after the female half of the duo dropped her mobile phone down a friend's toilet and sick images of her abusing a young girl were seen after it was repaired.

They exchanged approximately 3000 text messages during the period the victim was subjected to the attacks, with the man encouraging more and more sexual abuse.

Jobless Sarah Summerfield, 30, of Hayes received six-and-a-half years imprisonment and jobless Adrian Eldridge, 38, of West Drayton received ten years.

Summerfield admitted three counts of assaulting a child under 13 years-old by penetration and two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13.

She has been made subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) until further notice and will be a Registered Sex Offender (RSO) for life.



Eldridge was found guilty of three counts of encouraging or assisting the commission of one or more offences, namely sexual assault on a child under 13 by penetration.

He was also convicted of three counts of encouraging or assisting the commission of one or more offences, namely sexual assault by touching on a child under 13.

Eldridge was additionally declared a Dangerous Offender and will have his licence extended for a further two years.

He too was made subject to SOPO and will remain a RSO for life.



Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court heard pair were arrested after Summerfield dropped her mobile phone by accident into a toilet while visiting a friend in July last year.



The friend offered to get the phone fixed and Summerfield accepted.

When the device had dried out the friend managed to switch it on and discovered the images and movies of Summerfield sexually abusing a child.



The friend then contacted police and officers from The Metropolitan Police's Child Abuse Investigation Team arrested Summerfield and after analysis of her phone arrested Eldridge.



Summerfield and Eldridge had exchanged 3000 text messages in which he encouraged Summerfield to commit sexual assaults against the girl.



Detective Sergeant Tony Smith of the Met's Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: "I hope that the sentences handed down today will reassure the public that the Met takes the investigation of child abuse and sexual offences very seriously.

"I would encourage anyone who suffered sexual abuse as a child or adult, regardless of how long ago that was, to come forward and speak to us."

Distraction Burglars Targeted Residential Building For The Elderly

Deborah Arthur

Two heartless women burglars – who targeted elderly people in their own homes – have been locked-up for tricking their way into a residential building.

Deborah Arthur, 43, of no fixed abode, received three-and-a-half years and Fortunata Paczkowska, 30, of Bury Street, Lower Edmonton received five years.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard the duo were seen on CCTV at 8.00pm on January 26 pressing the intercom to enter Ajex House, East Bank, Stoke Newington.

Once inside, they spoke to several residents and attempted to gain access to their flats.

A 79-year-old male resident allowed them into his flat after they convinced him to read a letter.

Once inside the address, they stole several items, including cash and credit cards.



Fortunata Paczkowska

The suspects’ images were circulated in the local press and a local resident called police after seeing the image of Paczkowska in a local newspaper.

They were both charged with artifice burglary and remanded in custody.

Paczkowska was also charged with another distraction burglary at Ajex House on March 8, last year involving a victim who was a 91-year-old man. 



Detective Constable Anwen Clissold, from Hackney’s East Area Detections Team, said: “These two women were clearly trying to target a number of residents at the location.

“I hope this case highlights the willingness of the public to help us identify offenders in Hackney. 

Meat Supplier Harassed Chef Who Went Bust Owing Thousands

"I'd Just Lost Short Of £5,000" - Gibson

A meat wholesaler, owed nearly £5,000 by a restaurant that went bust, was convicted today of threatening to have the chef-owner “clubbed” by Irish gypsies if he didn't pay-up the money.

Barry Ray Gibson, 47, of School Road, Downham, Billericay – boss of L & O Meats Limited – left Edward Shaerf, 29, a former chef at The Ivy “scared and paranoid” and forced to leave the home he shared with his wife and nine month-old daughter for ten days.

Trouble began when L & O Meats, of 32 Saffron Court, Southfields, Basildon discovered the company which owned '1 Blenheim Terrace', a St. John's Wood brasserie, had gone into liquidation earlier this year.

Mr. Shaerf, who opened the venture with two colleagues from The Ivy, told Hammersmith Magistrates Court that he received a call from and angry Gibson on January 17, demanding the outstanding bill be settled or he would send “people” around to the restaurant.

“I was scared and paranoid,” said Mr. Shaerf, who conceded there was a legitimate debt. “There are better ways to deal with this than making threats.”

He told the court Gibson was “very angry” and threatened to have him “clubbed” if the bill was not paid and received a similar sinister phone call from the defendant on January 20.

Another call was taken by Mr. Shaerf's sous chef, Stuart White, who explained: “He was angry and demanded to know where was the money, who was responsible, where did they live and that he would pass on the debt to gypsy traveller friends to collect.

“He said that other debtors, who owed him money, were still in hospital.”

Mr. Shaerf made a complaint to police that he was being blackmailed and father-of-three Gibson was arrested on January 21 and taken to Charing Cross Police Station.

He told the court he had inherited his forty year-old family business from his step-father and had reduced his bill to 1 Blenheim Terrace to £2,800 by waiving his firm's profit, but was frustrated in his attempts to deal with the issue.

"Scared and Paranoid" - Shaerf

“I phoned Ed up to find out how we were going to recover our money, I might have been angry,” he said. “I'd lost just short of five thousand and needed to recoup my money.”

He denied threatening violence or suggesting heavies would be sent to the business, explaining he was referring to an Irish debt collector he met at his son's boxing gym.

“I wanted someone to collect our money rather than go through solicitors and chuck more money at it,” Gibson told the court. “There were no threats of violence.

“I said: 'We've met people that collect money.' They're Irish and I met them at the boxing gym where I take my son. They told us they were licensed.”

District Judge Mike Snow found Gibson guilty of harassment by putting Mr. Shaerf in fear of violence between January 16 and 21 and sentenced him to a three-month electronically-tagged daily home curfew between 6pm and 2am.

He also ordered Gibson to pay Mr. Shaerf £250 compensation, £620 court costs, a £60 witness tax and made an indefinite restraining order, prohibiting the defendant from contacting the victim and Mr. White.

“I found Mr. Shaerf and Mr. White to be very impressive, very precise,” he announced. “Careful listening to the voicemails is very revealing. What does handing the debt over mean if it doesn't mean sending someone to sort you out because they are much more ruthless?

“He asks for Mr. Shaerf's home address. Why would he do that if it was not to put the frighteners on?

“I don't believe Mr. Gibson. He was angry, he'd been let down and he knew it was unlikely he would get his money back and put this man in fear.”

The judge told Gibson: “I can understand how frustrated you must have been when the company of Mr. Shaerf went into liquidation, but it can't be condoned that you took the law into your own hands and put this man in fear.”

United Airlines Fined For Using Under-Sized Dog Containers

Heathrow Airport

United Airlines have been left with a £13,000 court bill after admitting six offences of transporting dogs on their flights in containers that were not large enough.

The American-owned company, of United House, 451 Southern Perimeter Road, Heathrow Airport admitted the summonses at Uxbridge Magistrates Court.

The offences, which the airline admitted in writing, spanned from January 21 to February 27 and related to the transportation of two great Great Dane's; a Rough Collie; two German Shepherd's and an unidentified dog.

They admitted landing an animal, which had been transported in contravention of the standards set by the International Air Transport Association, in that the dog's travelling container failed to meet the required dimensions, contrary to the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order and the Animal Health Act 1981.

They were fined £1500 on four of the summonses and £1750 on the remaining two, plus court costs and were given a month to pay.

Car Thief Murdered Israeli Woman

A Romanian murderer is facing life imprisonment after admitting stabbing an Israeli woman to death and driving away in her car.

Nicolae Patraucean, 20, of Chichester Court, Stanmore killed 55 year-old Rivka Holden at her flat in Falcon Way, Colindale on March 16.

A police car was flagged down at 12.20pm and officers alerted to a seriously injured woman at her home address.

An ambulance rushed to the scene, but Ms Holden was pronounce dead at the scene.

Arrangements were made for the body of Ms Holden, a regular attendee at Kingsbury Synagogue, to be returned to her native Israel for burial.

A murder investigation was launched under Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Wall of the Homicide & Major Crime Command.



The victim’s red Hyundai i20, registration RE62 AEA, which had been stolen during the incident, was later found in the Kingsbury area.



Detectives traced Patraucean and he was charged the next day with the murder of Ms Holden.



Patraucean is due to be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday, July 25. 

Hairdresser Caught Having Sex In Car After Boozy Cocaine Night Out

A hairdresser was caught by a shocked passer-by, who filmed her having sex in her VW Beetle, while nearly three times the drink-drive limit having snorted a line of cocaine the night before, a court heard today.

Julianne O'Connor, 33, claims the female pedestrian started filming her and her boyfriend on her mobile phone while the pair had sex when parked in a residential suburban street after a saturday night drinking-session.

The mum-of-one pleaded guilty to outraging public decency by being naked and having sexual intercourse in the vehicle in Mount Ephraim Road, Streatham on May 25.

She also admitted being in charge of the car with 96 microgrammes of alcohol in her breath - the legal limit is 35 - and possessing a small wrap of cocaine in nearby De Montford Road.

Prosecutor Mr. Brinkman May told Camberwell Green Magistrates Court it was 7.55am when the pedestrian spotted the pair.

"She noticed a male and female in a blue VW having sex or performing a sex act and was clearly alarmed by what was going on and called the police."

Officers caught up with O'Connor in a nearby street and although her car's engine was still warm they had no evidence she had been driving.

"Both individuals seemed to be under the influence of drink or drugs and after police found cocaine in Miss O'Connor's handbag she told them she had done a line earlier.

"She was found in the vehicle and it was suspected she had been driving, but we can't prove it.

"She fully admitted having he class A drugs and she was mortified and apologetic, explaining her judgment was impaired by drink and drugs and did not know it was so late.

"Miss O'Connor said she felt she was being filmed because the witness had her phone out."

Her lawyer Miss Natalie Cottrell told the court: "This was a very regrettable event and she regrets what happened that day.

"This was a Saturday, Sunday night just before the Bank Holiday and she was out drinking that evening and met up with her boyfriend.

"She didn't want him in her home, but spoke with him in the car and one thing led to another.

"She is very remorseful and tearful and says she is a very, very occasional user of cocaine, a social user and does not have a problem.

"It was due to drinking earlier that impaired her judgment and she did not mean to cause distress to anyone. This witness had a good look and was very close to her car window."

First-time offender O'Connor spent twenty-four hours in Brixton Police Station before she was charged and her boyfriend accepted a caution.

She was fined £280 for being in charge of the vehicle while over the limit, disqualified for six months and fined £150 for possessing the cocaine.

There was no separate penalty for the outraging public decency charge, but O'Connor was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £28 victim surcharge.

West London Sex-Pest Hunted By Police

Police hunting a West London sex-pest have released this CCTV image of the suspect, who has been approaching lone women in the street.

The incidents have taken place in the Earls Court and Kings Road areas between April 13 and 29.

The first offence happened on April 13 at approximately 4:35pm in Philbeach Gardens, Earls Court.

The 23 year-old female victim was walking home when the suspect approached her then grabbed her and sexually assaulting her before running off.



The second offence happened on Sunday April 27 at 9:10am in Longridge Road, Earl's Court.

The 23-year female victim was walking home when the suspect approached her. He grabbed her bottom and legs and ran off.



On Monday April 28 at 1:40pm the suspect struck again, this time in Hammersmith near the Queens Head public house, Brook Street.

The 28 year-old female victim was walking her dog when the suspect became verbally abusive towards her.



On Tuesday April 29 at about 8:45pm the 19 year-old female victim was walking along the King's Road, Chelsea when the suspect came up behind her and grabbed her bottom.



The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 5ft 5ins to 5ft 7ins, aged between 25 to 30 years. He has a London accent and short dark hair.



If you have any information please contact Notting Hill CID on Kensington 020 8246 0148 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. 

Knife-Wielding Mugger Stabbed Prostitute To Death

"Cold Blooded": Farooq Shah

A knife-wielding midnight mugger is facing a life sentence for murdering a pregnant prostitute he stabbed twice in the chest as he cycled around east London looking for victims.

Farooq Shah, 21, of Station Road, Forest Gate had robbed a vulnerable victim less than an hour earlier then targeted 24 year-old Romanian Mariana Popa – the mother of a six year-old child who had only been in the UK a few weeks.

He was convicted at Woolwich Crown Court of murdering Mariana in Ilford Lane, Redbridge, shortly before midnight on October 28, last year.

He was also found guilty of a knife-point mugging in nearby Upton Park the same night, when he robbed a partially-sighted man in his fifties, and will be sentenced on June 27.

Detective Inspector Darren Richards said: "This was a cold-blooded, senseless murder by a man who went out that night, armed with a knife, intent on using it to commit serious injury to someone.



"He had already threatened and robbed a vulnerable man with a knife earlier that night, and he was hanging around the Ilford Lane area, looking for another victim.

“He killed Mariana because she was there, because he thought he could get away with it.

“In doing so, he has deprived a young daughter of her mother. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of Mariana."



Stabbed To Death: Mariana Popa

The murder investigation was launched by officers from the Homicide and Major Crime Command after police were called by the London Ambulance Service at approx 00:15am on Tuesday, October 29, to reports of a woman injured in Ilford Lane, near the junction with Loxford Lane.



Officers attended and she was treated for a stab injury and she was taken to an east London hospital where she died at 01:53am.

The post-mortem examination ascertained that she died from shock and haemorrhage and stab wounds to the chest.



Mariana, who has a six year-old daughter, had been spoken to by police three times that night and she had been issued with a caution for soliciting.



CCTV footage proved critical in this case, and approximately 400 hours was reviewed over the course of the investigation.

Police recovered the footage from a number of cameras along the road, one of which had actually caught the murder taking place.

It shows Mariana walking along with a man on a bicycle, when he is seen to take a knife from his back pocket and stab her twice in the chest.

He then makes off towards Loxford Lane on his bike, while Mariana manages to make her way to a nearby shop where she collapsed.



Through the footage, detectives were able to trace the attacker to an area around St. Francis Way.

During door-to-door enquiries on November 6, officers discovered a bicycle matching the description of that seen in the CCTV footage.

Shah was inside the flat and, finding he fitted the description of the murderer, he was immediately arrested. 



At the address, police found a bag belonging to Shah that matched one worn by the murderer in the footage; they also recovered a Samsung Galaxy phone which Shah had given to his friend, who was present at the flat. 



Enquiries revealed that the phone had been taken during a knife-point robbery in Harold Road, Upton Park, at approx 11.00pm on the night of October 28.

CCTV footage had already shown that the murderer had been travelling from that direction to Ilford Lane.

That victim was partially sighted, but crucially was able to describe his assailant's distinctive thick beard.



Dead Man Unidentified: E-Fit Issued

Police have released this e-fit of an unidentified man, who was found dead in the grounds of a disused building in Lower Addiscombe, Croydon.

The body was found at 6 Morland Road at 3.05pm on Thursday, May 8 and the death is being treated as non-suspicious.



The man is described as black, of medium build, 5ft 8ins to 6ft tall, with short black and grey hair and a full black and grey beard. 



He was wearing a black v-neck sweater, brown shirt, blue denim jeans with a brown belt and black lace-up boots. He also had with him a dark green t-shirt. 



His clothes appeared clean and it did not appear as if he had been sleeping rough.

A small black bag was found near to his body. 



Enquiries have led police to believe that the male was living in rented accommodation and recently lost his job. 



Police are particularly interested in any landlords who had a tenant matching the description who has recently gone missing or not paid the rent. 



Anyone with information is asked to please call Croydon Missing Persons Unit on 020 8649 0016 or 101.

All calls with be treated in confidence.

Violent Groper Hunted By Police

Police are hunting this man – suspected of grabbing the same woman's breasts and buttocks within a week.

Metropolitan Police officers have made a public appeal for assistance in tracking-down 39 year-old Italian Gianluca Certo.

He also slapped the woman across her face several times during the incidents in Cricklewood Broadway, Cricklewood on April 16 and 23.

Certo is described as white, 5ft 7ins tall, of a medium build with short black hair and brown eyes.

He may or may not currently have facial hair. 



He is known to have links to London area, but it is possible he may have travelled outside the local area or even the country. 


Officers would ask anyone who knows of his whereabouts not to approach him, but to contact police either by 999 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. 

Nightclub Bouncer Had Cache Of Illegal Weapons In Luggage After Far East Holiday

A nightclub bouncer was caught at Heathrow Airport with a cache of illegal weapons in his luggage after a “trip of a lifetime” to Thailand.

Ashley Otter, 28, of Pendderi Road, Bynea, Llanelli, Dyfed had two stun guns, two knuckle dusters and a telescopic baton in his holdall, which he bought at a Bangkok market on the last day of his trip.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon; two counts of possessing an offensive weapon and one count of importing a weapon on January 30.

Otter received twelve months imprisonment, suspended for a year, ordered to perform 200 hours community service and pay £150 costs.

Isleworth Crown Court Judge Martin Edmunds QC told the first-time offender: “If you found someone trying to bring them into a nightclub you would have confiscated them and called the police.”

Prosecutor Mr. James O'Connell told the court Otter arrived in the evening on a flight from Bangkok via Delhi and was asked by customs officials whether he was carrying cigarettes or weapons.

“He said he had one stun gun in his bag and when his holdall was searched the other items were found.

“He said he bought some gifts for friends on his last day and was aware they could not be purchased in the UK.”

Otter's lawyer Mr. Gerald Mohabir said: “He is mentally scarred and mentally contrite. He's a good egg that took a hard-boiled decision on holiday.

“On what he thought was the trip of a lifetime he bought these items at a market where they were not illegal.

“As soon as he passed customs he realised the decision was stupid and he was extremely nervous.

“He was not trying to smuggle them in for a nefarious purpose.”

Boyfriend Sentenced For St. Valentine's Day Hotel Room Assault

A Peterborough man spat at and kneed his distraught girlfriend twice in the face when a romantic Valentine's Day night at a Hyde Park hotel turned sour during a drunken row.

Self-employed home improvements contractor Robert Rough, 30, of Crowhurst jealously quizzed ex Rebecca Slater about her behaviour at a recent works Christmas party then attacked her in their fifth-floor room at Bayswater Road's Double Tree Hilton Hotel on February 15.


“We are not sending you to prison,” bench chairman Jeffrey Manton told the tearful father-of-one at City of Westminster Magistrates Court today. 

“You kneed someone in the eye, you spat at them and verbally abused them.


“That individual tried to defuse the situation by going outside with you for a cigarette, but you went back and had another go and you can imagine how frightening that was for the individual who went to hospital with bruising and swelling.


“This could have effected someone's eyesight for the rest of their life through your one drunken action.”


Prosecutor Miss Niki Powell told the court: “Police were called after staff received complaints from other guests and when the officers arrived Mr. Rough was in the lobby with his suitcase and was detained.


“He had been in a relationship with Miss Slater for a year and they had been arguing in the lobby and continued arguing in the room.


“She had been at a works do and Mr. Rough was asking her what she had been doing at the party and who she was with at the party and she was pushed against a wardrobe.”


The night manager came to their room to investigate the commotion, but Miss Slater assured him everything was fine and the pair went outside for a cigarette.

“When they returned Mr. Rough attacked her, pushing her to the floor and deliberately kneeing her twice in the right eye and spat at her while verbally abusing her.”


Rough pleaded guilty to assault on the basis of pushing Miss Slater, claiming the kneeing was accidental, but after a Newton hearing during which the visibly upset victim gave evidence the court ruled it was deliberate.


She said the pair had enjoyed a meal and were both drinking when the romantic mood soured. 

“He was becoming aggressive in the foyer and I did not know why and he followed me up to the room screaming and shouting and calling me names.”


He was calling me: 'slag' and everything and he was questioning me about my Christmas party and what time I got in.


“Rob attacked me, he smashed my head against the wardrobe. It was quite forceful. I had roses that Rob threw all over the room.


“He shoved me onto the bed and then shoved me onto the floor by force. He was on top of me, holding me down.


“He was manhandling me, he's a lot bigger than me. He was abusing me, spiting in my face, calling me names.


“He's then kicked me twice in the face,” added the tearful and petite Miss Slater.


Rough's lawyer Mr. Tom Flavin said: “This is an isolated incident that was unfortunate and regrettable. A temporary loss of self-control that was completely out of character.


“There was no pre-meditation, it resulted out of an argument and Mr. Rough left the incident when he was asked to do so.


“These offences occurred through drink and both Mr. Rough and the complainant had a large amount to drink that night and since this offence he has not touched alcohol.


“He is aware how serious this is and doesn't want a repeat in the future and in his pre-sentence report interview he was ashamed and emotional and is deeply ashamed and deeply regrets the incident.”


Rough was placed on a two-year community order, which includes a domestic abuse programme, was ordered to pay £500 compensation to Miss Slater, £195 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.


An indefinite restraining order was also made against Rough, prohibiting him having any contact with Miss Slater and visiting her Peterborough home.

RMT Branch Secretary Cleared Of Picket Line Intimidation

Not Guilty: Mark Harding

A London Underground tube driver, who was picketing Hammersmith station during RMT industrial action, was cleared today of  intimidating a strike-breaking trainee manager who claimed he was branded a "scab".

RMT official Mark Andrew Harding, 51, of Gomm Road, Rotherhithe was standing outside the station with two fellow strikers at 5.47am on February 6 when graduate trainee Gareth Robert Scott, 25, crossed the picket line.

Prosecutor Mr. Sam Roarke told City of London Magistrates Court: "The Crown's case is that Mr. Harding used intimidation to compel Mr. Scott not to do his job."

The prosecution, brought under the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act, was an important one for the RMT and the conviction of branch secretary Harding would have been very damaging.

Union activists saw the prosecution as politically-motivated and it became something of a cause celebre for the movement, with union leaders, plus 15 MP's issuing a statement calling for the end of "anti-union laws."

Mr. Scott told the courtroom, which was packed with RMT supporters: "One gentleman approached me, made a beeline for me. 

"As I approached the station he came very close to me at a fast walking pace.

"At one point he was approximately five inches from my face, he was very close.

"When he got up close to me he shouted at me: 'Can you respect the picket line?'

"I avoided the gentleman and made my way towards the gates and he started shouting that I was a scab.

"He was shouting: 'You are a scab. What happens when your job is on the line?'

Strike Breaker: Gareth Scott

"I felt really shaken and frightened. i was concerned about what he was going to do. I was concerned he would follow me into the station.

"I was working as an incident station supervisor to cover the strikes. I was told to cover the shift as there was no supervisor that day."

The industrial action caused travel chaos across the capital for thousands of commuters and was brought in response to plans to cut the numbers of station staff.

Mr. Scott, who has since abandoned his career with the London Underground called the British Transport Police (BTP) from the station office.

"I was really worried about having to work there that day and be subject to abuse and similar taunts.

"When I got home I got really worried about what would happen next."

Mr. Scott entered counselling as a result and says the incident played a part when weighing up wether to stay with London Underground.

"It was an invasion of my personal space," he explained. "I have not experienced anything as confrontational as that on the Underground.

"I expected to be able to attend work without being called names."

He denied that as an up and coming manager he was "point scoring" against the union to impress his bosses.

Harding admits he challenged Mr. Scott, but simply said: "I'm asking you to show solidarity and not cross the picket line."

He did not give evidence, but was backed by fellow RMT striker Sean McKenzie, who was on the phone with the defendant while picketing King's Cross Station during the incident.

"I could hear him trying to convince someone not to go into Hammersmith Station. He was quite calm and respectful."

When asked if he heard Harding shouting or calling anybody a 'scab' Mr. Mckenzie replied: "I'm quite shocked and relatively appalled by the suggestion.

"He did not shout, he was calm, he did not use the word 'scab' or any other derogatory term."

Harding was picketing Hammersmith Underground Station with his brother Jim and customer services assistant Steve Hardwick, who told the court: "There was no shouting at all, that's the truth.

"He wasn't called a 'scab' at all."

Harding pleaded not guilty to intimidation during a trade dispute, namely used, without legal authority, violence or intimidation towards Mr. Scott.

Chelsea FC Fan Fined For Celebrating On Hallowed Turf

A Chelsea FC fan, who ran onto the pitch where his late father's ashes are scattered after his team hit the goal that put them through to the Champions League semi-final, has been fined.

Mark Warboys, 39, of Windsor Close, Witham, Essex told Hammersmith Magistrates Court: “I enjoy my football, I'm passionate about my football.”

He pleaded guilty to entering the playing area during the Chelsea v Paris Saint-Germain match at Stamford Bridge on April 8 and was fined £320, with £85 costs and was ordered to pay a £32 victim surcharge.

Prosecutor Miss Helen Clutton told the court: “After Chelsea scored a goal he ran onto the football pitch and was detained by stewards and then the police.

“In his own words he said emotions were high and he got carried away.”

Chelsea striker Demba Ba had just hit the second goal in a 2 – 0 win minutes from the final whistle, which clinched the home's team's progress in the competition.

Warboys told the magistrates: “Emotions were running high that night. My dad's ashes were spread on the pitch there in 1989 and he has got a memorial plaque there.

“I go there regularly with my son. I'm a member and my son is a member as well.”

When told he could be made subject to a three-year football banning order, which would prevent him attending any matches Warboys added: “I would be very upset, but I would accept it gracefully.”

The magistrates did not make any football banning order.