From 2018 to 2019, Katie Jarvis, 30, plays Hayley Slater in the BBC soap.
In July 2020, she got into an altercation with a black woman outside a fish and chip store.
Witnesses say she continued to scream profanity and spat at a bouncer after the incident.
She was sentenced to a two-year community service order as well as 200 hours of unpaid community service.
A former EastEnders star was sentenced to a community order after shouting ‘black lives don’t matter’ following a drunken brawl outside a fish and chip shop.
Katie Jarvis, 30, who starred as Hayley Slater in the BBC soap from 2018 to 2019, was involved in a fight with a group of ladies outside a restaurant in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, at around 7.30 p.m. on July 31, 2020.
Witnesses stated she called them “black c***s” and continued to yell racial insults as she went along the coastline, before spitting at a bouncer after being denied access to a local bar.
Jarvis said she was not racist as she was sentenced to a two-year community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and a requirement to complete 60 days of specified activities at Basildon Crown Court on Wednesday.
She apologised ‘to the people in Southend that day’ outside the court, claiming she was full of’shame and regret’ for her actions.
Prosecutor Cyrus Shroff said tensions began at the chip store when someone attempted to lift an empty chair from a table with four seats where Michelle Antonio, a black woman, was sitting with two other members of her group of four.
He told the court that Ms Antonio had stated that the chair was in use before informing Jarvis that she would be unable to take the seat because it was required by a fourth member of her party.
He claimed that different stories of what transpired next have been given, with Jarvis saying Ms Antonio was “aggressive,” which Ms Antonio disputes.
Jarvis allegedly stormed away saying ‘black lives don’t matter anyway,’ ‘black c****,’ and ‘I’m a star,’ according to Mr Shroff.
“It appears a brawl broke out between the parties,” he stated.
Mr Shroff claimed Ms Antonio was “disgusted and angered” by Jarvis’s remarks and that she “can’t believe these things are still being spoken” in 2020.
He claimed that about 9.15 p.m., bouncer Toby Groom refused Jarvis admission to the Hope Hotel, and that when she returned an hour later, Mr Groom requested her to leave again.
‘She started yelling abuse at him again,’ Mr Shroff recalled.’
After that, she spat at him. It’s fair to say there’s no evidence it has anything to do with him.
‘He called the cops, and Ms Jarvis was detained shortly after at around 11 p.m.,’ he said.
Jarvis, of Rainham, east London, told authorities “she was racially wrong and she was inebriated,” according to him.
Jarvis pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment and common assault on the first day of her trial on Tuesday, and she was sentenced today.
Jarvis’maintains she didn’t physically assault anyone that day,’ said prosecutor Patrick Harte.
He apologised to “the guests who heard her utter the dreadful words on that day, as well as Mr Groom, the doorman, who was merely performing his job.”
Jarvis, according to Mr Harte, “drinks very rarely” and “had been in London – she had a number of successful film interviews” on the day in question.
‘She was celebrating,’ he explained, ‘and she ran into a friend she hadn’t seen since elementary school.’ They were in a good mood.’
He claims Jarvis did not use the phrase ‘until after the disagreement went physical,’ and that she reacted ‘abhorrently’ following a ‘pile on,’ in which four or five women jumped on her.
‘The terminology used isn’t what she believes,’ he said.
Mr Harte read a statement from Jarvis’s aunt through marriage, Sonja Gater, who is an ambassador for a knife-awareness organisation in west London, in which she stated that she ‘knows for a certainty’ Jarvis is not racist, and that she would not have racist people in her life.’
Mr Harte claimed Jarvis had suffered ‘enormous hardship’ as a result of the incident.
‘She last shot a movie in 2020,’ he said. ‘Since then, she hasn’t worked in a film.’
‘She went for a four-hour shift to try out for a job at The Range to make ends meet.’
He claimed that the shift went well and that she was given a uniform, but that ‘the CEO caught wind of her position and she was fired.’
‘The terminology used isn’t what she believes,’ he said.
Mr Harte read a statement from Jarvis’s aunt through marriage, Sonja Gater, who is an ambassador for a knife-awareness organisation in west London, in which she stated that she ‘knows for a certainty’ Jarvis is not racist, and that she would not have racist people in her life.’
Mr Harte claimed Jarvis had suffered ‘enormous hardship’ as a result of the incident.
‘She last shot a movie in 2020,’ he said. ‘Since then, she hasn’t worked in a film.’
‘She went for a four-hour shift to try out for a job at The Range to make ends meet.’
He claimed that the shift went well and that she was given a uniform, but that ‘the CEO caught wind of her position and she was fired.’
‘I quickly accepted using the foul words stated when I was interviewed by the police the day following the incident.’
‘I was and continue to be disgusted by it.’
‘To this day, I find it difficult to watch the video footage.’ I honestly don’t recognise myself in the video, and I’m having trouble recalling all of the facts because of my emotions.
‘However, I accept full responsibility for my heinous behaviour.
‘As demonstrated, I got into an unwarranted dispute that led in four or five people attacking me physically.’
‘I responded horribly and said things in the heat of the moment that I will regret for the rest of my life.’
‘At no point during that day did I hit anyone physically.’
‘Those who know me best know that I am not a racist and have no racist beliefs.
‘I grew up in a multicultural area of London, a city that prides itself on its diversity.’ As a proud Londoner, I have friends and relatives from all walks of life, and I’ve had the good fortune to work with people from all areas of life during the course of my career.
‘I’ve never developed an opinion about someone or treated them differently because of their skin colour, accent, or background.
‘I offer a full and heartfelt apology to everyone who was present in Southend that day and was outraged by my behaviour.’
‘I am really sorry to anyone who has seen the footage online, and I feel nothing but humiliation and regret for the language I used.’
She then thanked her friends, family, and legal team before declining to answer any questions.
In addition, the actress was accused of two counts of assault by beating, which she disputed.
The judge directed that one of these counts be placed on the file, with the second receiving a not guilty verdict.
