Maga influencer admits Bond Street assault

A Donald Trump-supporting influencer and PR executive has admitted to assaulting a woman by pulling her hair at a London Underground station.

Melissa Rein Lively was reported by the woman over the incident at Bond Street station on the evening of 11 October.

Rein Lively, 40, accepted a conditional caution, while an assault by beating charge against her was withdrawn, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard on Tuesday. She was not present in court.

The US national’s partner Philipp Ostermann, who was with her at the Underground station, denied two racially aggravated public order offences and a further public order offence. He was released on conditional bail.

Prosecutor Lyndon Harris told the court that the “admission to the conduct alleged against her” amounts to an offence, and that Rein Lively had agreed to pay £910 in compensation.

The court heard the compensation had not yet been paid and was due in July.

Ostermann, a 37-year-old German national, is set to appear at City of London Magistrates’ Court on 17 November for trial.

The court heard that the woman was with her sister and they were walking towards Bond Street station with two children, one of whom was in a pushchair.

Ostermann and Rein Lively were ahead of them and appeared to be kissing. They seemed to be intoxicated, the court heard.

The prosecution said Rein Lively then appeared to stumble into the pushchair, leading the woman to push back with it.

It is alleged that Ostermann then said: “You bloody Indians, watch where you’re going, you shouldn’t be here.”

One of the women responded that Rein Lively had fallen over her sister’s pushchair, adding that they were not Indian and telling him to stop being racist, the court heard.

After this, Rein Lively grabbed one of the sisters by the hair and tugged it “in a forceful manner”.

Rein Lively is the founder of America First Public Relations, which describes itself as an “anti‑woke” PR firm, while Ostermann is associate director at Munich‑based private equity company Aequita.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk

Pro-Trump influencer charged over ‘racist’ assault