A serving British police officer accused of the kidnap and murder of a woman in London appeared in court for the first time Saturday.
LONDON (AP) — Clashes broke out Saturday between police and people who gathered in defiance of coronavirus restrictions at an unofficial vigil for a London woman whose killing has spurred a national conversation in the U.K. about violence against women. The hundreds who gathered on Clapham Common, near where marketing executive Sarah Everard last was seen alive on March 3, defied a police request to disperse and a judge’s order to honor her and to draw attention to the fear and danger many women see as a daily part of British life. Everard disappeared while walking home from a friend’s apartment and was found dead a week later. The slaying sent shockwaves across the U.K. because a police officer is charged with her kidnapping and murder. Video of the informal vigil turned rally showed officers tussling with participants. Male officers grabbed hold of several women and led them away in handcuffs to screaming and shouting from onlookers, Britain’s Press Association reported. Many participants laid flowers at a bandstand in the park. Among them was Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, who was seen pausing for a moment in front of the sea of flowers. Other people held signs reading “We will not be silenced” and “She was just walking home,” and the crowd chanted, “Sisters united will never be defeated.” The gathering happened hours after Metropolitan Police constable Wayne Couzens,48, appeared in court for the first time since his arrest in Everard’s death.
