UK police pay damages and express regret to protesters arrested at London vigil for murdered woman

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

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. Patsy Stevenson and Dania Al-Obeid were detained at the March 2021 protest vigil in London. Police said the gathering in memory of Sarah Everard violated pandemic lockdown rules in place at the time. Police Commander Karen Findlay acknowledged that the women felt “badly let down” by police. The two women accepted the settlement, saying the experience of taking on the police had been exhausting. Financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Thursday’s announcement comes as the London force tries to rebuild trust after a series of incidents that exposed racism and sexism within its ranks.