Two women who were arrested at a vigil for Sarah Everard have won ‘substantial’ payouts from the Metropolitan Police.
Patsy Stevenson and Dania Al-Obeid were both detained at the event in South London in March 2021, where Covid restrictions were still in place.
The pair both took legal action over the amount of force used during their arrest, which had prompted widespread outcry against the Met.
The law firm representing the women said in a statement that a settlement had been reached and ‘substantial’ payouts had been awarded.
Speaking in the wake of the verdict, Stevenson said: “It has taken over two years to reach this conclusion, it's been a really tiring and difficult process but it has felt important to push for some form of accountability and justice for myself and all women who attended the vigil to express our anger and grief over the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan Police officer.”
Al-Obeid added: “I have found this journey incredibly difficult but very important as a survivor of domestic violence and someone who has been failed by the police in that context.
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"I appreciate that the Met Police have acknowledged our motivations for attending it but 'badly let down' is an understatement.
"I have felt abused, abandoned by the police prior to, during and post the vigil - I do not feel protected or safe with any police force.”
There had been ongoing anger in the wake of Everard’s death, as it emerged that serving Met Police officer, Wayne Couzens, had used his powers as a law enforcer to lure her into his vehicle and kill her.
The vigil was initially planned by campaign group Reclaim These Streets, who then cancelled the protest after Met officers threatened organisers with £10,000 fines under the ongoing strict lockdown rules.
But hundreds of people attended the vigil in Clapham Common throughout the day to pay their respects, including then-Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.
Later in the evening saw police clash with those at the vigil, which attracted widespread criticism for being excessively heavy-handed. Pictures of women being forced to the ground when viral on social media.
In letters written to Stevenson and Al-Obeid, Karen Findlay, commander for major events and public order policing for London, said she fully acknowledged "that your motivations in attending the vigil were to express your grief and anger" over Everard’s death.
“Acknowledging that the fundamental right to protest remained, the circumstances at the time of the vigil - namely that we were in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic - presented an extremely difficult challenge for policing and the officers present due to the need to balance the potential risk such a gathering could pose to public health,” she continued.
"That aside, I appreciate the anger, frustration and alarm your arrest undoubtedly caused you, exacerbated by the subsequent proceedings, and I regret that your opportunity to express your grief and anger was curtailed by your arrest and removal.”
Kimberley Bond is a Multiplatform Writer for Harper’s Bazaar, focusing on the arts, culture, careers and lifestyle. She previously worked as a Features Writer for Cosmopolitan UK, and has bylines at The Telegraph, The Independent and British Vogue among countless others.
