Sarah Everard vigil: Arrests as protesters march through central London

Follow the latest developments as they happened

Crowds gather outside of Scotland Yard to mourn Sarah Everard

Arrests have been made after protesters marched through central London to campaign following the death of Sarah Everard.

Police gave demonstrators an ultimatum to go home immediately or face being arrested as dozens were stopped over breaching coronavirus restrictions.

Hundreds of people gathered in Parliament Square for the demonstration at about 5pm before marching across London.

A large number of protesters blocked off traffic on Westminster Bridge to demonstrate as Reclaim These Streets campaigners chanted and held banners and police officers halted oncoming cars.

The police watchdog has confirmed it is launching two new separate investigations relating to the Sarah Everard case, following referrals from the Metropolitan Police.

One will look into allegations that a Metropolitan Police constable, who was stationed at a cordon in Kent as part of the ongoing search operation, shared an “inappropriate graphic” with colleagues.

The other will examine how Wayne Couzens, the serving Metropolitan Police officer charged with Ms Everard’s kidnap and murder, came to sustain head injuries while in custody.

• Sarah Everard disappearance: What we know so far
• Woman pictured being held on ground by police at Sarah Everard vigil wants to meet Cressida Dick
• Thousands gather around London to mourn Sarah Everard and condemn police handling of vigil
• Sarah Everard: Everything we know about 33-year-old and what happened to her

Key Points

• Arrests made in central London after protestors refuse to go home
• Met Police officer removed from search op after sharing ‘inappropriate graphic’
• Priti Patel agrees with claim that vigil was ‘hijacked’ by extremists
• Crowds gather for Parliament Square protest
• Priti Patel still has confidence in Cressida Dick, policing minister says
• Public should be ‘really worried’ about new crackdown on protests, ex-police chief says
• Boris Johnson has ‘full confidence’ in Met police chief

[15 March 2021 11:35 · Chantal Da Silva]

Vigil attendee says she feared for her life during police crackdown

Dania Al-Obeid, one of several women to be arrested by police during a vigil on Saturday for Sarah Everard, has said she feared for her life during the police crackdown on the event.

“Where it got out of hand is when the police were at the bandstand and it felt like they were standing against us,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“That’s what it felt like and that’s when the frustration started and that’s when we got upset and people were shouting,” she said.

Asked to expand on why it felt that way, she said: “Well, literally, we were all turned to the bandstand. There was flowers, there was candles...At one point, everyone had their torch on their phone and we were standing together. Opposite us were police in the line and there were so many of us. It literally felt like they were against us and there was no real explanation or understanding or compassion to the situation. It was as if we were all there doing this for fun and it wasn’t.”

The vigil attendee said it was when she saw police crowd onto the bandstand and start “handling the women on the band quite aggressively” and “pushing them when all we wanted to do was just stand there, stand against the violence against women in this country,” she felt “it was necessary of me to join the women”.

She said she got up on the bandstand and then not long after was “dragged” off the platform.

It was then that the vigil attendee said she began to fear for her life.

“I was thinking at that point if I get dragged, if my head hits the floor, with the amount of policemen there - there was only us four women on the bandstand - I was going to die - and there’s no exaggeration to that. That’s honestly what was going through my head,” she said.

Ms Al-Obeid said that before this experience, she had been “man-handled” before, which heightened her fears on Saturday.

“Being man-handled before and [having] it go badly before, I understand what I needed to do is have minimal resistance and almost be at mercy in the hands of the policemen,” she said.

“Luckily, I stayed on my feet, but as you see in the other pictures, the other women were on the floor and handcuffed. It was unnecessary,” she said.

[15 March 2021 11:50 · Chantal Da Silva]

Women see streets as ‘lawless’ when it comes to male behaviour, victims’ commissioner says

Women see the streets as being “lawless” when it comes to male behaviour, Dame Vera Baird QC, the Victims Commissioner for England and Wales, has said.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Dame Vera said she wanted to see the national focus return to the issue of violence against women and girls, rather than remain solely on the Metropolitan Police’s handling of vigils held in honour of Sarah Everard, whose murder has sparked widespread calls for justice.

“Let’s return to the issue, which is why is it that this number of women, when this awful event has occurred, have started to talk about their appalling experiences,” the victims commissioner said.

“They regard, quite clearly, the streets as lawless for women when it comes to male behaviour. Men it seems, they tell us, they can do what they want and say what they want, and nobody will take action.

“As we know, it doesn’t seem to many people worth it to make a complaint to the police because if someone complains of rape, 98% of the 55,000 people who have complained of rape do not even get a charge.”

Dame Vera’s comments come as Crown Prosecution Service and Home Office figures show at least 55,130 complaints of rape were reported to police in the 12 months leading up to March of last year. Yet, there were only 2,102 prosecutions and 1,439 convictions in England and Wales in 2019-20, according to the Press Association.

[15 March 2021 12:18 · Chantal Da Silva]

Police in Sandwich, Kent continue to investigate Sarah Everard case

 Police in Sandwich, Kent, continue to investigate the case of Sarah Everard’s disappearance and murder.

On Monday, officers were reportedly seen looking under vehicles in a car park by a Co-operative supermarket, while also examining trolleys, according to PA.

Another car park in the town was also cordoned off with officers seen dressed in wellies and overalls, the press agency reported.

A large portion of another car park in the town is cordoned off with officers behind the perimeter seen dressing in wellies and overalls.

[15 March 2021 12:30 · Chantal Da Silva]

Boris Johnson to convene Crime and Justice Taskforce

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to chair a meeting today with Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick and others to discuss how to prevent violence against women and girls.

Mr Johnson is expected to convene the meeting of the Government’s Crime and Justice Taskforce at 6pm today, according to the Press Association.

The Prime Minister has said he was left “deeply concerned” after seeing footage of Met police officers cracking down on Saturday’s vigil for Sarah Everard in Clapham Common.

[15 March 2021 12:45 · Chantal Da Silva]

Thousands join march against sexual assault amid outrage over Australian government’s handling of rape claim

Thousands of women and allies marched across dozens of cities and towns in Australia on Monday to call for gender equality and justice for victims of sexual assault.

The March 4 Justice rallies come amid outrage over the government’s handling of historic rape allegations against Australian attorney general Christian Porter.

They also come after former political adviser Brittany Higgins alleged that she had been attacked by a male colleague in a government minister’s office in 2019.

Maroosha Muzaffar reports:

[15 March 2021 12:53 · Zoe Tidman]

‘No-win situation'

The national vice chair of the Police Federation has said policing during lockdown is a “no-win situation” for frontline officers.

It comes after the Metropolitan Police has faced criticism over the policing of a vigil for Sarah Everard over the weekend.

Ché Donald from the Police Federation said: “The ensuing issues that have arisen following police attendance at the vigil for Sarah Everard has highlighted the complexity of policing in the current climate when the rights of individuals to pay their respects, have to be balanced with that of protecting the public from an escalating situation and enforcing the law.”

The national vice chair added: “Policing during lockdown is a no-win situation for front line police officers trying to protect the public, they are damned if they do take action and damned if they don’t. Ultimately front-line officers have become pawns in a political situation.

“There is a need to reiterate the call for clarity around Covid-19 regulations to avoid further confusion over laws and rules when lockdown measures are lifted.”

[15 March 2021 12:54 · Zoe Tidman]

BREAKING: Boris Johnson has ‘full confidence’ in Cressida Dick as Met commissioner

[15 March 2021 13:15 · Chantal Da Silva]

Keir Starmer says he was ‘concerned’ about women’s safety on British streets while director of public prosecutions

Sir Keir Starmer has said he felt “frustrated and concerned” about women’s safety on British streets while he was serving as director of public prosecutions.

Speaking to journalists during a visit to the Whittington Hospital in north London, the Labour leader said he hoped Sarah Everard’s case would mark a “turning point” in addressing violence against women and girls.

“We need to see this as a turning point where we all come together and do something about it, listen to what women are saying to us, and men need to be part of this, we need to speak up and demonstrate that we are confident change is possible and we are prepared to see through that change once and for all,” he said, according to PA.

He also called for efforts to push the Government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill forward to be paused.

“I’d actually ask the Government to reflect on this, pause the Bill, work across Parliament - there could be a serious piece of cross-party work now to deal with violence against women,” he said.

“That’s the issue that we need to confront. This is a sentencing bill - it should say something about rape sentences, about harassment and stalking sentences.”

“It doesn’t so it should be paused as we actually work together across the House and have something that begins to tackle this very long-standing issue.”

[15 March 2021 13:30 · Chantal Da Silva]

Government’s ‘mixed messages’ added to escalation at vigil, Police Federation says

The Police Federation, which represents thousands of officers across the country, has accused the government of having added to the “escalation of events” at the vigil for Sarah on Saturday.

In a statement, Vice Chair Ché Donald said officers had become political pawns and are “damned if they do take action and damned if they don’t”.

“Policing during lockdown is a no-win situation for front line police officers trying to protect the public, they are damned if they do take action and damned if they don’t. Ultimately front-line officers have become pawns in a political situation,” Mr Donald said.

“There is a need to reiterate the call for clarity around Covid-19 regulations to avoid further confusion over laws and rules when lockdown measures are lifted. The Government’s mixed messages added to the escalation of events on Saturday,” he said.

[15 March 2021 13:45 · Chantal Da Silva]

PM vows to ensure women are ‘properly heard’ when they make allegations

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to “make sure” that women are “properly heard” when they make “serious complaints about violence”.

Speaking at a National Express depot near the Coventry Pool Meadow bus station, Mr Johnson said: “The reality is that the country is united still in shock and grief about what happened to Sarah Everard and we must do everything we can to find the answers.

“Today in the House of Commons, there’s a debate beginning and a vote tomorrow on new measures that the Government is bringing in for tougher sentences for rapists...and new measures to tackle domestic violence.

“I hope those go through. But I think the fundamental issue that we have to address as a country, and as a society and as a government is that...women in particular must feel that when they make serious complaints about violence, about assault, that they are properly heard.

“We are going to make sure that that happens.”