Four arrests made during Epsom rape protest
Protest escalated to public disorder with missiles thrown, Surrey Police say
L'essentiel
- Four people have been arrested after eggs and beer cans were thrown during a protest in Epsom, Surrey, following a reported rape of a woman in her 20s outside a church on 11 April.
- The demonstration escalated to public disorder, with protesters targeting local hotels and residential properties with claims about asylum seekers, which police said was wholly inaccurate.
- Police have not found any evidence that the offence took place as reported.
Résumé généré par IA
Four people have been arrested after eggs and beer cans were thrown during a protest in a Surrey town where police are investigating a reported rape. The demonstration in Epsom "escalated to public disorder" and involved "missiles being thrown", Surrey Police said.
A woman in her 20s was reportedly followed after leaving a nightclub in the early hours of 11 April and attacked outside Epsom Methodist Church, with police later saying there was no evidence immigrants or asylum seekers had been involved.
About 30 officers with riot shields appeared to be protecting a property during a live stream of the protest. Surrey Police said it began at 17:00 BST outside the train station, before individuals "targeted local hotels and residential properties with claims they were housing people seeking asylum" which it said was "wholly inaccurate information".
Prior to this, the live stream showed a woman who was representing the protesters as she read out a statement. She said it was not about "apportioning blame or fuelling anger, but about establishing the truth". She said "it feels as though key details are missing", adding residents felt "scared and unsafe".
Late on Monday, Surrey Police said the four arrested people remained in custody on suspicion of offences including criminal damage and assaulting an emergency worker. A spokesperson added: "We will continue to review footage to identify those responsible for any further criminal offences and take appropriate action".
The force said investigations into the reported incident were ongoing. It said officers had reviewed an extensive amount of CCTV footage, carried out forensic investigations and conducted house-to-house enquiries.
"To date, we have not found any evidence that the offence took place as reported," it said. "We will continue to work with those seeking to protest, along with our partners and the local community, to ensure everyone's views can be heard."
Monday's protest follows a demonstration on Wednesday, when objects were also thrown amid angry scenes.
