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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

How much more of this rubbish will women accept? Sarah Everard prosecutions

72 replies

newnamethanks · 02/06/2022 22:04

I can't see a thread on this. Happy to delete this if there is one as the accumulated fury should set MN aflame. The prosecution of the 6 women arrested at Sarah's vigil will go ahead. This decision was made by the Met, not the CPS. 4 of the cases will be heard with the public excluded. They are accused of failing to pay the FPNs issued for breaking Covid regulations by assembling at a gathering of more than 2 people. They weren't playing ABBA songs, they weren't drinking champagne or beer, they were outside and they weren't having a party and they are not members of the government. They, together with many others, were attending a vigil for Sarah who was raped and murdered by a serving Met officer. AIBU to ask how the hell any woman can be expected to put trust in a Met officer?

OP posts:
BarrowInFurnessRailwayStation · 02/06/2022 22:06

Sickening. Absolute b***ds 🤬

orwellwasright · 02/06/2022 22:08

They are women and they defied men's orders. They must be punished.

We have institutionalised misogyny and it's not going to change any time soon.

Alexandra2001 · 02/06/2022 22:11

Their own stupid fault, should have said they were "ambushed by protest" or they were there displaying their "leadership skills...."

This country, govt and its police are corrupt to the core.

titchy · 02/06/2022 22:17

Hang on didnt the Duchess of Cambridge go as well? How come she isn't being fined Angry

OvaHere · 02/06/2022 22:21

It's utterly ridiculous. I have no idea what the Met are trying to prove here.

newnamethanks · 02/06/2022 22:23

titchy I've wondered that too. I expect she got the elite exemption relief like BJ and Cummings ie 'they've got expensive lawyers, don't go there.

OP posts:
Kendodd · 02/06/2022 22:30

What can we do about this?
It seems so wrong that the PM can go (host) to a party in his flat but women can't go to a vigil.

I assume they're being prosecuted for not paying the fpn? Did they appeal?

Dailyfailcanfeckoff · 02/06/2022 22:44

I don’t understand how the covid laws can now be upheld after all the rule breaking that has gone on by the government.

I don’t understand why it would be in the public interest- it seems very vindictive to me. I hope they have a good lawyer.

Theimpossiblegirl · 02/06/2022 22:47

If someone who knows how to do so could set up a petition, we could get a fair few signatures here.

eurochick · 02/06/2022 22:50

I think this is a huge misstep by the Met. And it will backfire on them.

milveycrohn · 02/06/2022 22:53

I understand the Duchess of Cambridge went early, so was socially distanced. I do not know all the details, so feel free to correct me if wrong, but it seems that the peaceful (and socially distanced vigil) was highjacked by other ajitators. I do not think the police are fining/charging everyone who was there, so why have they picked these women?

Northernsoullover · 02/06/2022 22:55

Its not up to just the met though is it? (Genuine question because my legal knowledge is so basic) don't the CPS have to assess if it passes the public interest test? How could this possibly be in the public interest?

EvilPea · 02/06/2022 22:56

mets PR must be shaking their head at how to deal with this

how do they continue to fuck things up and make them worse

ssd · 02/06/2022 22:59

Thats utterly disgusting Angry

MrsEdnaWelthorpe · 03/06/2022 00:12

Seriously, why are they doing this? The met are taking to court not the CPS...wtf? Women were peacefully protesting after a met police officer raped and murdered a woman and women aren't allowed to gather together? I'm feeling furious, how fucking dare they. Pure misogyny.

jcyclops · 03/06/2022 00:31

"The prosecution of the 6 women arrested at Sarah's vigil will go ahead."
"They are women and they defied men's orders"

Of the 4 in the magistrates court today, 2 were men. Don't let facts get in the way of your favoured narrative.

Restrictions at the time limited close contact outdoors to a maximum of two people. Film of the Duchess on the date clearly showed she was in close contact with only 1 person. The Met issued 9 FPNs for breaching this rule. 7 did not pay and did not appeal by requesting a court hearing. After review, 1 of these 7 cases was dropped and the other 6 were summoned to the magistrates court.

The CPS does not get involved with every type of court case, and this is one of those types of case. They were also not involved in the prosecution of Kurt Zouma.

SylviasMotherSaid · 03/06/2022 01:12

What makes me even angrier is the circumstances of Sarah’s murder and the fact those politicians who imposed those rules were breaking them all the fucking time when you think of the excuse that piece of shit who murdered her used to kidnap her .
Then to try to come at the people who went to the vigil NOW after all they did has been in papers is sickening .

TimeFlysWhenYoureHavingRum · 03/06/2022 01:12

Utterly sick. The met are a cess pit.

ElephantsFart · 03/06/2022 01:24

Institutional misogyny. What can we do about it?

Pallisers · 03/06/2022 01:28

titchy · 02/06/2022 22:17

Hang on didnt the Duchess of Cambridge go as well? How come she isn't being fined Angry

if she had a feminist bone in her, the DOC should turn herself in to the met.

Do they not see the optics of this? Woman is raped and murdered by a met policeman using the guise of covid lockdown rules to kidnap her. Met police prosecute women at vigil for this murdered and raped woman ... for breaching covid lockdown rules.

HeadOnShoulders · 03/06/2022 02:42

What a stupid conflation. I'm as much against the ridiculous covid fines as anyone else. The outdoor rules were uninformed and ignorant at the time, and to enforce fines now after all the Downing Street revelations is utter madness.

But what does this have to do with women's safety?

You either believe that all covid laws were to be kept and enforced, in which case there shouldn't be an exemption for a vigil of a murdered woman. Or you believe they were overreach and all fines should be cancelled, in which case the reason for gathering doesn't really matter.

Either way, this is a covid enforcement issue, nothing more. There really is no need to shoehorn in women's victimhood everywhere.

Pallisers · 03/06/2022 03:04

This reply has been deleted

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araiwa · 03/06/2022 04:54

Am I misunderstanding?

They're going to court for not paying their fines. So they were charged with same crime as Boris but he presumably paid his fine which is why he's not being prosecuted further

bigfatsighing · 03/06/2022 06:03

They’re doing it to make a point. Power play.

Huge waste of money.

Really poor decision. What are they thinking?!

TibetanTerrah · 03/06/2022 06:22

I have to say, if I had gone to the vigil, I would have just paid the fine and been done with it.

I live streamed it and found the heavy handed police really upsetting. Everyone knew it was a peaceful vigil, and the police escalated it like it was a riot.

Sensible PR would be to let this go though, as it was one of their own that meant their was a vigil in the first place. I also am surprised that they can circumvent the CPS like this.