Sarah Everard vigil attendee sues Met Police for ‘breaching rights’ with fine and prosecution

Dania al-Obeid only learned of her conviction of a Covid offence when she was contacted by the media

Women gathered at Clapham Common on 14 March 2021 after the murder of Sarah Everard (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

One of the women prosecuted for attending a vigil for Sarah Everard is suing the Metropolitan Police claiming the force breached her rights when it issued her with a fine and conviction.

Dania al-Obeid, 27, was one of thousands of people who travelled to Clapham Common on 13 March 2021 after Ms Everard was kidnapped, raped and murdered by a serving officer.

She was charged with “participating in a gathering of more than two people in a public outdoor place”, but a legal challenge mounted by a group who attempted to organise a vigil established that the Metropolitan Police had misinterpreted the law.

In March, the High Court found that the force had wrongly claimed Covid restrictions made a vigil illegal and that its decisions were “not in accordance with the law” because it allowed exceptions.

Ms al-Obeid said she was not aware of the prosecution until she was contacted by the media, having been convicted in her absence under a controversial closed-door procedure that has been used for thousands of Covid cases.

“I had a criminal record over the last few months because the Met were able to have me convicted under the Single Justice Procedure,” she said.

“I was devastated when I found out. To be convicted behind closed doors for standing up for my human rights, and our rights just to be safe from violence, felt extremely unjust.”

Patsy Stevenson, who was photographed being pinned to the ground by police at the vigil, has announced her intention to bring legal proceedings over her treatment and fine.

Ms al-Obeid said that as a victim of abuse herself, she and other women demanded “the space to be angry, sad, devastated” and to call for change following the murder of Ms Everard.

She was initially ordered to pay a £220 fine, £100 in court costs and a £34 victim surcharge by a magistrate at Westminster Magistrates' Court, but the conviction was quashed after Ms al-Obeid was able to lodge a not guilty plea.

She and five others prosecuted over the vigil were due to face trial later this year but the charges were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) last week.

A CPS spokesperson said: “We have a duty to keep cases under continuous review and we concluded that our legal test for a prosecution was not met.”

On Tuesday, lawyers acting for Ms al-Obeid said they had formally notified the Metropolitan Police of her intention to pursue claims for breaches of her rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

She has so far raised over £3,200 in crowdfunding for legal action, in a fund initially started for her defence in the trial.

Rachel Harger, a solicitor at Bindmans LLP representing Ms al-Obeid, said: ”The Metropolitan Police’s efforts to double down on their attempts to legitimise their policing operation and conduct in and around the Clapham Common vigil is entirely unsurprising, but the fact that they have continued to do so under immense public scrutiny and criticism further illustrates that this is a police force that believes it should be able to act with impunity.”

The Metropolitan Police is currently in special measures, with one of the issues being cited by the national police inspectorate being public trust and confidence.

Following Dame Cressida Dick’s resignation in the wake of a scandal over racism and misogyny at Charing Cross police station, new commissioner Sir Mark Rowley will take up his post next month.

An independent inquiry is underway into the force’s standards and culture, and a separate public inquiry is looking at the handling of Wayne Couzens before he murdered Ms Everard and wider vetting issues.