The Metropolitan Police will appeal against a High Court ruling that it breached the rights of organisers of a vigil for Sarah Everard with its handling of the event, the force has said. In a ruling on March 11, two senior judges found the Met’s decisions in the run-up to the planned event were “not in accordance with the law”.
Reclaim These Streets (RTS) had planned the socially-distanced vigil for 33-year-old Ms Everard, who was murdered by former Met officer Wayne Couzens, near to where she went missing in Clapham, south London, in March last year, the Mirror reports.
The force said in a statement on Friday (March 18) it had “taken time to consider” the decision but that it wanted to “resolve what’s required by law when policing protests and events” in future. It said in a statement: “Following the High Court judgement issued on Friday, 11 March the Met has taken time to consider with great care the decision itself and the wider implications for policing.
“It’s absolutely right that we are held to account for our actions and that there is proper scrutiny of the decisions we make as a police force in upholding legislation and maintaining public order. It’s absolutely right that we are held to account for our actions and that there is proper scrutiny of the decisions we make as a police force in upholding legislation and maintaining public order.
“We also respect the strong views held by Reclaim These Streets in defence of human rights and public protest, and their pursuit of justice for these views. As an organisation we work with, support and police hundreds of protests and events across London every day, and take our responsibilities under the Human Rights Act in doing so, very seriously.
“It’s important for policing and the public that we have absolute clarity of what’s expected of us in law. This is why we feel we must seek permission to appeal the judgement in order to resolve what’s required by law when policing protests and events in the future.”
Scotland Yard came under fire for its ‘heavy-handed’ response to the vigil in Clapham Common, London, last year when images of women pinned to the ground by male officers were widely shared. The Met had previously refused permission for the vigil to go ahead due to Covid laws in place at the time.
Wayne Couzens, 49, was jailed for life for raping and killing Ms Everard, 33, after he kidnapped her as she walked home in Clapham. The Clapham Common vigil took place three days after Ms Everard’s body was found in a Kent woodland in March last year.
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