Babak Belurs

Minggu, 14 Maret 2021

Sarah Everard vigil: London mayor 'not satisfied' by Met chief's explanation for 'completely unacceptable' policing - Sky News

The mayor of London has said the police handling of the vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common was "unacceptable" - and that he is "not satisfied" with the explanation he has received from the head of the Metropolitan Police.

The scenes of officers grabbing several women at the Saturday evening gathering and leading them away in handcuffs were widely criticised, including by politicians of all sides.

A Home Office spokesperson also said that Home Secretary Priti Patel had read the police report and "feels there are still questions to be answered".

However, a Home Office source told Sky News that Ms Patel still has "full confidence" in Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, despite calls for her resignation.

PA news agency reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson also spoke to the commissioner on Sunday but there were no details on the content of their conversation.

The vigil had been planned by Reclaim These Streets, but the group cancelled the event after what they said were repeated attempts to negotiate with Scotland Yard about ways it could go ahead safely under coronavirus restrictions.

What had been a peaceful and sombre gathering during the afternoon turned sour and four arrests were made, with calls from London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Ms Patel for Dame Cressida to provide an explanation.

But, as hundreds of people gathered in protest outside Scotland Yard, Mr Khan said on Sunday: "I asked the commissioner and deputy commissioner to come into City Hall today to give me an explanation of yesterday's events and the days leading up to them. I am not satisfied with the explanation they have provided.

"I will now be asking Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to conduct a full independent investigation of events yesterday evening and in previous days. I am also asking the Independent Office for Police Conduct to investigate the actions of police officers yesterday evening.

"It is vital that these events are not allowed to undermine the powerful calls since Sarah's murder for meaningful action to finally stop men inflicting violence on women. It was clear before yesterday that there isn't adequate trust and confidence from women and girls in the police and criminal justice system more widely. Further steps must now be taken to address this."

Mr Khan said the scenes arising from the policing of the vigil were "completely unacceptable", adding: "I received assurances from the Metropolitan Police last week that the vigil would be policed sensitively. In my view, this was not the case."

The home secretary has also asked Sir Thomas Winsor, Chief Inspector of Constabulary, to conduct a "lessons learned" review into the policing of the vigil.

Meanwhile, the woman who was pictured being pinned to the ground by police in Clapham on Saturday night has said she is determined to hold another gathering on Monday.

Speaking to LBC on Sunday afternoon, Patsy Stevenson said she did not feel she had done anything wrong and was planning to attend a gathering in Parliament Square on Monday.

She said she wanted to push for change in the way women are treated, adding: "That's the bare minimum we should feel the freedom to do, and I think it's appalling that it's gone on for this long and I think everyone needs to stand up to it and keep the ball rolling and get something actually changed.

"The main point is trying to get something changed within the system to educate people on how we can make women feel safe and just free to do what they want to do and live a normal life because there are so many things that we are unable to do without fear."

Ms Stevenson said she had been fined £200 after her arrest on Saturday but was unsure why, adding: "I can't speak for everyone that was there but I didn't throw anything... the recollection of the night is a bit blurry, as you can understand, but I don't recollect anyone pushing people unless it was in retaliation.

"They (the police) said something along the lines of 'for breaching COVID rules' but they didn't make it entirely clear to me from the start.

"The weird thing was, I wasn't actually surprised, which doesn't say much really about the police force."

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2021-03-14 16:41:15Z
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Sarah Everard vigil: London mayor 'not satisfied' by Met chief's explanation for 'completely unacceptable' policing - Sky News

The scenes of officers grabbing several women at the Saturday evening gathering and leading them away in handcuffs were widely criticised, including by politicians of all sides.

What had been a peaceful and sombre gathering during the afternoon turned sour and four arrests were made, with calls from Sadiq Khan and Home Secretary Priti Patel for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick to provide an explanation.

"I will now be asking Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary [HMIC] to conduct a full independent investigation of events yesterday evening and in previous days. I am also asking the Independent Office for Police Conduct [IOPC] to investigate the actions of police officers yesterday evening.

The home secretary has also asked Sir Thomas Winsor, Chief Inspector of Constabulary, to conduct a "lessons learned" review into the policing of the vigil.

Meanwhile, the woman who was pictured being pinned to the floor by police in Clapham on Saturday night has said she is determined to hold another gathering on Monday.

Speaking to LBC on Sunday afternoon, Patsy Stevenson said she did not feel she had done anything wrong and was planning to attend a gathering in Parliament Square on Monday.

"They (the police) said something along the lines of 'for breaching COVID rules' but they didn't make it entirely clear to me from the start.

"The weird thing was, I wasn't actually surprised, which doesn't say much really about the police force."

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PC's wife 'living in fear' as he’s remanded over Sarah Everard 'murder' - Metro.co.uk

The wife of a policeman accused of kidnapping and murdering Sarah Everard has been ‘living in fear’ because of attacks from trolls.

The mother of PC Wayne Couzens’s wife Elena has said she has been targeted with abuse on her Facebook account, which has since been deleted.

Mum Nina Sukhoreba, who lives in Ukraine, told the Sunday Mirror: ‘I am very surprised how the Western people have behaved.

‘How can they write such horror about my family?’

In regards to the backlash her daughter and son-in-law faced online, she added: ‘Have they never heard of presumption of innocence?’

Couzens and Elena met in Switzerland where she was working and were married 15 years ago.

One of her mother’s friends said Elena was ‘really scared’ and ‘can’t believe what is happening’.

They added: ‘Her mum has never called Wayne her son-in-law, always son, and their relationship is more like mum and son.’

Undated family handout of missing woman Sarah Everard, 33, who left a friend's house in Clapham, south London, on Wednesday evening at around 9pm and began walking home to Brixton, said Scotland Yard. PA Photo. Issue date: Saturday March 6, 2021. She is thought to have left Leathwaite Road through a back gate and walked across Clapham Common and was expected to arrive home around 50 minutes later, but she has not been seen or heard from since.See PA story POLICE Missing. Photo credit should read: Family Handout/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. — Sarah Everard, 33, disappeared in south London on March 3. (PA)

Couzens appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday morning charged with kidnap and murder following his arrest on Tuesday.

He arrived at the central London court at 10am in a large blue police van, stepping into the dock around 30 minutes later.

In the dock, he wore a grey tracksuit and appeared to have a red wound on the top of his forehead.

Couzens spoke only to confirm his name and personal details, sitting between two plainclothes officers.

He is accused of kidnapping Ms Everard, 33, in the Poynders Road area of Clapham.

Ms Everard‘s body was found inside a builder’s bag in Kent and was later identified through the use of dental records, the court heard.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring remanded Couzens in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on March 16.

***TV OUT*** Artist's drawing of Wayne Couzens appearing at Westminster Magistrates Court. He appeared to have a red wound on his head and spoke quietly when asked to confirm his name, date of birth and address. Mr Couzens was arrested on Tuesday after 33-year-old Sarah Everard disappeared when walking home to Brixton from Clapham in south London last week. March 13 2021. — Artist’s drawing of Wayne Couzens appearing at Westminster Magistrates Court. (SWNS)

The Metropolitan Police previously said Couzens joined the force in 2018, most recently serving in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, an armed unit responsible for guarding the Parliamentary estate and embassies in London.

His main job was uniformed patrol of diplomatic buildings, and Scotland Yard said he was not on duty at the time of Ms Everard’s disappearance.

The force said that Couzens, of Deal, in Kent, was taken to hospital for a second time in 48 hours on Friday for treatment to another head injury sustained in custody, before he was discharged and returned to a police station.

He was previously treated in hospital for a separate head wound on Thursday, also sustained in custody when he was alone in his cell.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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2021-03-14 12:53:00Z
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Sarah Everard vigil: Senior officers say a hostile crowd left them with no choice in Clapham – but there were other options - Sky News

By any measure, Saturday night's scenes on Clapham Common make for deeply uncomfortable viewing.

For the Metropolitan Police, in particular the senior command team at Scotland Yard, the optics are terrible.

Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball said that officers were left with no choice but to intervene as hundreds of people were packed together in an area around the main band stand, posing an obvious health risk.

But in truth, commanders on the ground did have a choice. They could have stood back and maintained a more discreet presence.

Of course there are many who will say that you can't have one rule for one group when it comes to breaking lockdown restrictions and then turn a blind eye to another.

The more robust policing around recent anti-lockdown protests in which hundreds of arrests were made is a case in point.

But the situation on Clapham Common was different. This was never intended to be a defiant protest, rather a respectful vigil, where the organisers said they would take whatever action the police deemed appropriate to ensure people could be socially distanced.

However, Reclaim These Streets, the group behind the original vigil plans said repeated attempts to negotiate a compromise solution with Scotland Yard were turned down.

Although Reclaim These Streets cancelled the official vigil, it was inevitable that others would still turn out.

In fact, the vacuum left by the inability of the Met to reach an agreement with the organisers for a smaller vigil, was filled by some groups intent on a more defiant approach.

Assistant Commissioner Ball said that officers faced abuse, with a small minority chanting, pushing and throwing items.

But I can't help thinking that had the Met reached a more workable compromise for a smaller, more socially distanced vigil, there would have been less chance of more confrontational elements heading to Clapham Common.

But even with some more hostile people in the crowd, senior officers still had a choice, they could have stepped back.

Last June, Scotland Yard took the decision to facilitate Black Lives Matter protests in London and across the country.

Gatherings of more than six people were banned at the time because of the COVID restrictions. But the Met decided not to intervene because of the very sensitive nature of the protest.

Indeed, groups of officers even took a knee in solidarity with those marching.

No one can surely argue that the vigil on Clapham Common last night, with all the events of recent days, wasn't a highly sensitive event as well.

Contrast the decisions made around Clapham Common with those made by Police Scotland in Glasgow last week.

Police did not intervene to arrest the hundreds of Rangers supporters celebrating their team's league title win.

Instead, they allowed the crowd to celebrate and disperse. Intervening would undoubtedly have escalated that situation.

One former officer, with years of public order policing, told me: "The Met will need to be very careful about policing events in the next few days.

"Sometimes doing nothing is the best tactical option in the circumstances.

"If you are going to intervene for public safety then any intervention should not cause disorder and confrontation to escalate."

The Met's commissioner, Cressida Dick, is now under intense pressure to explain her officers' actions, with some even calling for her resignation.

Her job security is far from assured, given a notable intervention by the home secretary last night.

Far from expressing confidence in Dame Cressida, Priti Patel described some of the scenes playing out on social media as "upsetting" and demanded a full report from her.

Coupled with severe criticism from the London mayor, Labour and Lib Dem leaders, as well as many other politicians, this will be a very difficult few days ahead for Cressida Dick - the Met's first female commissioner.

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2021-03-14 12:25:33Z
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Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe appears in Iranian court to face new charge of 'propaganda against Iran' - Sky News

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has appeared in an Iranian court on a new charge of "propaganda against Iran", her lawyer has said.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe "was fine and calm at the court session" on Sunday and "the trial was held in a calm atmosphere", Hojjat Kermani said.

"The final defence was taken. Legally, the court should announce the verdict in a week but it is up to the judge. I am very hopeful that she will be acquitted," he added.

That account was confirmed by her local MP Tulip Siddiq, who tweeted: "No verdict was given but it should be delivered within a week."

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was released from house arrest and had her ankle tag removed last weekend after a five-year prison term expired.

But she has been unable to return to the UK to be reunited with her husband and young daughter and was told to return to court to face other charges.

The British-Iranian was arrested at a Tehran airport while taking her infant daughter to see her parents in April 2016.

The 42-year-old was later jailed over disputed allegations she was plotting to overthrow Iran's government.

Her family and her employer, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, a charity, deny the charge.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was allowed to move to her parents' home a year ago due to the coronavirus threat in the notorious Evin prison.

She was under house arrest and had been wearing a tracker tag that limited her to 300m (984ft) from their Tehran flat.

She can now move around, as long as she does not leave Iran.

Asked after her latest court appearance whether she could leave the country, her lawyer said: "I don't know about her travel ban situation."

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said it was "unacceptable and unjustifiable" that Iran has chosen to continue with this second, "wholly arbitrary", case against Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

"The Iranian government has deliberately put her through a cruel and inhumane ordeal," he said.

"Nazanin must be allowed to return to her family in the UK without further delay. We continue to do all we can to support her."

Prime Minister Boris Johnson demanded she be released immediately in a call with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday.

Iranian media reported that during the call, Rouhani raised the issue of a £400m historical debt which Tehran says Britain owes the Islamic Republic in capital and interest for a 1970s arms deal with the then-Shah of Iran.

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2021-03-14 11:29:52Z
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Sarah Everard: All-female discussion on violence by men against women on special edition of Sophy Ridge On Sunday - Sky News

Home Office minister: 'The government is working on crimes against women'

Has Priti Patel not get any ideas on how to stop crime against women given she's commissioning reports and not laws?

Ms Atkins says we have seen action from the government, and refers to the Domestic Abuse Bill making its way through parliament at the moment.

"The next step is looking at violence on the street," she adds.

The minister is told that rape charges are at 1.4%, and that a man was given a five-year sentence for "throttling" his wife. Another case is mentioned where a man avoided prison for violence against a woman because he argued he would lose his job.

"This justice system isn't serving us", Jayne says.

Ms Atkins says there is an "end to end" review of the criminal justice system is taking place, and says that the cases mentioned to her are a matter for the judiciary.

She adds that changes are being made to the sentencing of serious and violent offenders, saying that at the moment they can be released after half their term - but that is being increased to two-thirds.

Should police be looking at their own, Ms Atkins is asked, given that police offers accused of domestic violence are less likely to be convicted?

Ms Atkins does not answer the question directly, but says there is training for police to recognise and support victims of domestic abuse, but suggests the police, as a result of the training, are looking at their own behaviour.

"We're investing money in perpetrator programmes to stop the cycle of abuse," she adds.

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2021-03-14 08:26:06Z
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Sabtu, 13 Maret 2021

Sarah Everard vigil: Met Police chief urged to resign after 'disgraceful' clashes between officers and crowds - Sky News

The Metropolitan Police is facing fierce criticism for its handling of a vigil in memory of Sarah Everard - with Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick urged to resign.

Scuffles broke out at the gathering on Clapham Common as officers told attendees to go home - and at one stage, policemen were seen grabbing hold of several women and leading them away in handcuffs.

In the early hours of the morning, Scotland Yard confirmed that four people were arrested for public order offences and breaching coronavirus restrictions at the south London vigil.

Home Secretary Priti Patel described footage circulating of the police's actions as "upsetting" - and confirmed she has demanded a full report on what happened.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan added that he was in contact with Dame Cressida and "urgently seeking an explanation".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the scenes were "deeply disturbing", adding: "This was not the way to police this protest."

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey went further - writing a strongly worded letter to Dame Cressida. In it, he said: "This was a complete abject tactical and moral failure on the part of the police.

"We therefore call on you to consider your leadership of the service and whether you can continue to have the confidence of the millions of women in London that you have a duty to safeguard and protect."

Reclaim These Streets, which had opted to cancel its event, said women across the country "are deeply saddened and angered by the scenes of police officers physically manhandling women at a vigil against male violence".

Organisers also claimed that the Met had failed to work with them to ensure that a vigil could go ahead safely, adding: "In doing so they created a risky and unsafe situation. It is their responsibility to protect public order, public health and the right to protest - they have failed on all accounts."

Saturday night's statement concluded: "This week of all weeks, the police should have understood that women would need a place to mourn reflect and show solidarity. Now is the time for the police and the government to recognise that the criminal justice system is failing women.

"Tonight, it has failed women again, in the most destructive way."

The gathering on Clapham Common had been largely peaceful, but the atmosphere turned to one of anger when the police surrounded a bandstand covered in flowers.

As several women were escorted away by police, the crowd chanted "shame on you" - and during one confrontation, a distressed woman told officers: "You're supposed to protect us."

Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball defended the police's actions in a statement.

She said: "Around 6pm, more people began to gather close to the bandstand within the common. Some started to make speeches from the bandstand. These speeches then attracted more people to gather closer together.

"At this point, officers on the ground were faced with a very difficult decision. Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting COVID-19."

She added: "Those who gathered were spoken to by officers on a number of occasions and over an extended period of time. We repeatedly encouraged those who were there to comply with the law and leave. Regrettably, a small minority of people began chanting at officers, pushing and throwing items."

The assistant commissioner said Scotland Yard accepts that the actions of their officers have been questioned, but added "We absolutely did not want to be in a position where enforcement action was necessary. But we were placed in this position because of the overriding need to protect people's safety.

"Let me end by saying that across the Met we review every single event that we police to see if there are lessons that can be learnt. This one will be no different."

Ms Everard, a marketing executive, went missing while walking home across Clapham Common earlier this month and was later found dead in a woodland in Kent.

Wayne Couzens, a Metropolitan Police officer, appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday charged with her kidnap and murder.

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2021-03-14 02:31:25Z
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Minggu, 14 Maret 2021

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