Ed Matthews, a 'manosphere' influencer who appeared in Louis Theroux's Netflix documentary, has been fined £4,500 after harassing a Polish Sainsbury's worker in Lancaster on 2 March. Matthews and four other men surrounded the injured woman at the supermarket and subjected her to lewd and sexually suggestive comments, making her feel "trapped" and forcing her to share her Instagram details to escape. The case highlights concerning behaviour within the "manosphere" community and raises questions about genuine reform, given Matthews' previous violent convictions.

Matthews pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour causing harassment and was ordered to pay £2,884 in fines plus a £1,154 victim surcharge, £500 compensation, and £85 costs. The 24-year-old earns between £5,000 and £10,000 monthly from his platform and claimed during the hearing to have reformed since serving 12 weeks in prison earlier this year for attacking an alleged paedophile. However, footage subsequently emerged of Matthews post-hearing bragging about "getting out of a case", undermining assertions of genuine change.