A man who allegedly stripped naked on top of a statue in central London before breaking off its sword and biting it has demanded to be deported back to the Ukraine.
Charged with possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and criminal damage, Dan Motrescu, a 29-year-old Ukrainian, dismissed his lawyer this morning and asked to face the charges in his native country.
Motrescu allegedly stripped naked on top of a statue
After a brief hearing, he was remanded in custody until Thursday, when he will reappear before the same court.
Before his appearance at Westminster Magistrates' Court, he had been under close observation at St Thomas's Hospital.
The entire street was shut in the wake of the incident
Motrescu was arrested after allegedly scaling the life-sized horse-mounted statue of Prince George, the Duke of Cambridge, in Whitehall, central London, on Friday.
A 100-metre stretch of Whitehall was cordoned off as emergency services tried to persuade him to come down.