Melissa Rein Lively Charged in Bond Street Assault Case

melissa rein lively, 40, has been charged with assault by beating after an incident at Bond Street Underground station in central London on 11 October. Philipp Ostermann, 37, faces three public order offences, including two racially aggravated counts.

Bond Street Station

British Transport Police said a woman reported she was racially abused and had her hair grabbed as she entered the station with her sister and two young children at 19:30 BST. Police also said it was alleged that a man shouted racial abuse at the victim and a woman grabbed her hair.

It was also reported that pepper spray may have been used. The charges bring the case from a station complaint into the criminal courts, with both defendants due before Westminster Magistrates' Court on 19 May.

Westminster Magistrates' Court

Rein Lively runs America First Public Relations and has been described as a prominent Donald Trump supporter. Ostermann is the associate director of Aequita, a private equity firm based in Munich.

The two charges against Ostermann are racially aggravated, while Rein Lively faces the assault by beating count tied to the same reported incident. For passengers and staff at Bond Street, the immediate change is that the allegation now sits inside a live court case rather than a police report.

The next step is the hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 19 May, where the case will move forward on the charges already laid against both defendants.