LONDON (AP) – British police have paid damages to two protesters who were arrested while attending a vigil for a woman murdered by a serving police officer. Yesterday’s announcement comes as the London force tries to rebuild trust after a series of incidents that exposed racism and sexism within its ranks.
Patsy Stevenson and Dania Al-Obeid were detained at the March 2021 protest vigil in London, which police said violated pandemic lockdown rules in place at the time.
The gathering was called after Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old London woman, was abducted and murdered by an off-duty Metropolitan Police officer as she walked home at night.
The crime shocked the country, angered many women and raised questions about a police force that unknowingly harboured a murderer in its ranks. Police officer Wayne Couzens later pleaded guilty to Everard’s murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
A planned vigil was cancelled after police told organisers it would violate coronavirus restrictions, but hundreds of people attended a spontaneous gathering – including Catherine, the wife of Prince William, who laid flowers.
Police later moved in to disperse participants, arresting some. Images of women being restrained and led away in handcuffs – especially a picture of Stevenson being pinned down by officers – sparked wide criticism.
The High Court later ruled police had acted unlawfully in using coronavirus rules to block the vigil, and Stevenson and Al-Obeid sued the police force.
The Metropolitan Police said that the protest had taken place in the extraordinary circumstances of a global pandemic.
“A protracted legal dispute is not in the interests of any party, least of all the complainants who we recognise have already experienced significant distress as a result of this incident,” it said.
“The most appropriate decision, to minimise the ongoing impact on all involved, was to reach an agreed settlement.”
