EastEnders actress cleared of racist abuse 'over cigarette'

EastEnders actress Linda Henry has been cleared of racially abusing a community warden after being asked to pick up a cigarette butt.

The 55-year-old had denied using the word n***** and said she found it repulsive.

Earlier her Henry's black black co-star, Diane Parish, who plays Denise Fox in the soap, said she did not think the actress would use racist language such as that alleged.

The show's executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins said it was "absolutely the last thing on earth I would expect Linda to say."

EastEnders actress Linda Henry has said she finds the word n***** "repulsive" and would never use the racist slur.

Henry, who plays Shirley Carter in the soap, told magistrates: "If I heard somebody else call somebody else that, I would be absolutely outraged and I would call the police immediately."

The actress is accused of racially abusing a community warden who fined her for dropping a cigarette on the ground.

Describing the incident, she said the warden "made a comment about she knows who I am and she will get me in the end."

She told the court most of the time she approached by members of the public it is "lovely" but said a small minority believe she is really liked the character she plays in the BBC1 soap.

Giving evidence at Bexley Magistrates Court, Henry added she lived in a multi-racial area of Peckham, south London, is married to a Greek man and has a "mixed-race daughter".

Henry denies using threatening or abusive words that were likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, and that the alleged offence was racially aggravated.

A community warden who claims EastEnders star Linda Henry was racially abusive towards her told the actress she would "get her", a court heard.

Iyabo Adetokunbo approached Henry, who plays Shirley Carter in the soap. after apparently seeing her drop a cigarette on the floor.

Sarah Elliott QC, defending Henry, put it to the witness: "I suggest you said to her 'I know who you are and I will get you'."

The witness replied: "Why do I want to get her? To me she is an individual who committed a littering offence. That is who she is to me. Greenwich Council is zero-tolerance on littering - she is not above the law."

Henry denies using threatening or abusive words that were likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, and that the alleged offence was racially aggravated.

A community warden has said she was "distraught" after EastEnders actress Linda Henry allegedly hurled racist abuse at her.

Iyabo Adetokunbo told a court she saw Henry drop a cigarette on the ground and asked for her details so she could issue a fixed penalty notice.

After suspecting Henry had given her false details, the warden told her if she had, that would be an additional offence.

Ms Adetokunbo said: "That was when she said 'f*** off, n*****.'"

She told the court: "I was upset. We have a job to do. I was doing my job.

"She littered. I approached her. She called me a n*****. That really, really upset me. I can't describe how I felt."

Henry, who plays Shirley Carter in the BBC1 soap, denies using threatening or abusive words that were likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, and that the alleged offence was racially aggravated.

EastEnders actress Linda Henry hurled racist abuse at a community warden who told her off for dropping a cigarette on the floor outside a Jamie Oliver restaurant, a court heard.

Henry, who plays Danny Dyer's on-screen mother Shirley Carter in the show, allegedly shouted: "Do you know who I am? I'm Shirley".

Bexley Magistrates Court heard Henry then told her alleged victim she had no photographic evidence of her doing anything wrong and said: "Who do you think you are? Go away, f*** off, n*****."

The incident is said to have occurred near Jamie's Italian in Greenwich, south east London, on September 14 last year.

Henry denies one count of using threatening or abusive words that were likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress, and that the alleged offence was said to have been racially aggravated.