UK Edition
Diane Abbott's son appears in court charged with 11 offences, including nine assaults
Diane Abbott's son has appeared in court charged with a string of offences, including nine assaults and one count of racially aggravated criminal damage.
James Abbott-Thompson, 28, appeared at Thames Magistrates' Court on New Year's Eve accused of 11 crimes.
The alleged offences took place between July 26 and December 23 last year with the majority occurring on NHS premises in London.
The court was told that most of the incidents relate to a time when Mr Abbott-Thompson was being treated for mental health issues.
The alleged offences include attacks on an emergency services workers, police officers, a nurse and a social therapist.
He is also accused of racially aggravated criminal damage and exposure at the Homerton Hospital in east London.
Other alleged offences took place at the Royal Free in Hampstead and Mile End Hospital in Tower Hamlets.
Mr Abbott-Thompson attended the brief hearing at Thames Magistrates’ Court in east London on Tuesday but his mother was not in court.
George Gross, defending, said Mr Abbott-Thompson intended to enter not guilty pleas to all the charges.
District Judge Jane McIvor granted him bail ahead of a further hearing at Wood Green Crown Court next month.
Mr Abbott-Thompson is the only son of Labour's shadow home secretary, and Ghanaian architect Richard Thompson.
Ms Abbott, the Labour MP for Hackney and Stoke Newington, was widely criticised for her decision to send her son to the fee paying City of London.
But she later defended her decision insisting it had been the making of him,and saying: “I was taught that you sacrifice everything for your child.”
Mr Abbott-Thompson achieved 11 A* grades at GCSE and went on to obtain a place at Trinity College, Cambridge University, to study law.
He joined the Foreign Office in 2014 as part of its fast track diplomatic programme, and had been based in Rome, where he was working alongside the British Ambassador advising the British Consul and representatives of the British community in Italy about their rights post Brexit.
But he left his post in the summer and according to an online CV had recently been based in Dublin working as a consultant.