Six protesters who attended a vigil for Sarah Everard are not dealing with prosecution.
They had been accused of breaking lockdown guidelines by going to Clapham Common on 13 March final yr.
It adopted the kidnapping, rape, and homicide of Ms Everard by then-serving police officer Wayne Couzens.
But the “legal test” for a prosecution has not been met, the Crown Prosecution Service mentioned (CPS).
Lawyers for the protesters have been advised the prosecutions have been being “discontinued” final week, The Observer newspaper reported.
“We have a duty to keep cases under continuous review and we concluded that our legal test for a prosecution was not met,” a CPS spokesperson mentioned.
The occasion, organised by Reclaim These Streets, was cancelled after Scotland Yard mentioned it mustn’t go forward.
The High Court, although, failed to offer a definitive reply on the matter.
People turned up, nonetheless, laying flowers, whereas the Duchess of Cambridge additionally paid her respects.
For the primary six hours, police didn’t intervene, however by the night, tons of of individuals had gathered, resulting in clashes during which dozens have been bundled to the bottom and arrested.
Read extra:
What went flawed on the Sarah Everard vigil?
One of the protesters, Dania Al-Obeid, welcomed the CPS’s choice, however mentioned the matter was not over.
“This is a victory in its own right, but it doesn’t hold the Met accountable for their actions at the vigil or for their decisions to criminalise me and others for standing up and speaking out over a year later,” Ms Al-Obeid advised The Observer.
She is now taking authorized motion in opposition to the Met over its policing of the vigil and conduct in the direction of her.
Met Police Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe mentioned the drive is aware of how essential it’s that individuals “voice their anger”.
She added: “Officers took very seriously their duty to safeguard the public during the pandemic and to balance this with the rights of individuals.”
Any choice to pursue a prosecution is “entirely a matter for the CPS”, Scotland Yard mentioned.
Wayne Couzens, 49, just lately tried to overturn his entire life sentence and failed.
Source: information.sky.com”