Six people are being prosecuted by metropolitan police for allegedly violating Covid-19 restrictions during a vigil by Sarah Everard, who was killed by a Met officer.
According to court documents, the defendants include Dania Al-Obeid, 27, of Stratford, East London; Vivien Hohmann, 20, of Clapham, south London; Ben Wheeler, 21, of Kennington, south London; and Kevin Godin-Prior, 68, of Manchester. His case was heard in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
They are being prosecuted for allegedly attending a gathering of more than two people at an outdoor venue when London was under Level 4 restrictions on March 13, 2021.
The Crown Prosecution Service said the four mentioned above were being prosecuted under the single justice procedure, which meant that the case could not be observed by the public. It also means that the decision to prosecute under Covid’s laws was solely a decision of the Met police. Most prosecutions in England and Wales must be authorized by the CPS. The Met said Wednesday’s case of the four defendants was an administrative hearing.
Two more people, Jade Spence, 33, of Lambeth, and Jenny Edmunds, 32, of Lewisham, are due to appear in court on June 15.
The Met said the charges follow the issuance of nine fixed penalty warnings (FPNs) related to events in Clapham Common on March 13, 2021. “Seven of those who received FPNs did not pay. In one of these cases “No other action has been taken. The remaining six were charged. The decisions follow a full review of the evidence.”
After the vigil, Al-Obeid, who works in marketing, told BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Wednesday morning that she had been arrested for violating coronavirus regulations. She said: “I understood that the police on the ground were following orders. When they stopped me and I talked to them, and when they handcuffed me in the van, they understood our position. They were just following orders.
“It simply came to our notice then. We felt that we were silent and that could have been avoided if there was a certain understanding and compassion for the trauma that women feel every day. “
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Al-Obeid, who is receiving legal advice on the fine, told the PA news agency: “This is not the £ 200. [fine], I’ve had people come forward and offer to pay for this. This is what this fine represents.
“I have requested any updates on the fine by e-mail, as I am not in the country. However, the first thing I hear about this charge is through the media. It has been treated so badly from start to finish and only “He’s waiting for me to come back and accept this treatment. I’m thinking about fighting it, because it’s just not fair.”
Jamie Klingler, a member of Reclaim These Streets, said the Met had a “vendetta against women protesting a woman killed by an officer on duty.”
The Met’s decision to sue comes just a day after he was denied permission to appeal a second time against a high court ruling that the force had violated the rights of the vigil organizers.
Dismissing the appeal, Judge Holroyde said in a court order that while acknowledging that the application of the principles guiding the right to protest “may be difficult for the police and that the difficulty may increase when it is considered a potential event “, they were” clear “and no separate guidance was needed.
Why does @metpoliceuk have revenge against women protesting a woman killed by a serving officer? Is it this recovery that has helped Cressida Dick step down? How will wasting more public money prosecuting women who attended the vigil regain confidence?
– Jamie Klingler (@jamieklinler) June 1, 2022
The judge said he did not see “any questionable basis on which it can be stated that the [high] the court’s decision was wrong. “
The four women who founded Reclaim These Streets and planned the vigil filed a legal challenge against the force after they decided not to organize the event, after being threatened with fines of £ 10,000 each and possible prosecution if he kept going.
Sisters Uncut, a feminist direct action group, continued plans to hold a vigil at the Clapham Common kiosk, which was attended by hundreds of people.
Wayne Couzens is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to kidnapping, raping and murdering Everard while a police officer.
He approached the Met for comment.