Protester claims 50 police officers contacted her on Tinder after Sarah Everard vigil

Tammy Hughes7 October 2021

A protester who was arrested at a vigil for Sarah Everard has said “about 50” police officers have approached her on the dating app Tinder.

Patsy Stevenson, 28, is taking legal action against the Met after she was pinned to ground by officers at the vigil on March 13.

She attended the gathering during lockdown to commemorate the life of Ms Everard, who was brutally murdered and raped by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens.

Now, Ms Stevenson says she has had dozens of approaches from police officers and security guards who have “liked” her profile.

She says she views the approaches as intimidation.

Wayne Couzens court case
PA

Speaking to the BBC, she said: “They were all in uniform on their profiles or it said ‘I’m a police officer’.

“It is almost like an intimidation thing, saying, ‘Look we can see you’, and that, to me, is terrifying.

“They know what I went through and they know that I’m fearful of police and they’ve done that for a reason.”

Speaking on Twitter Ms Stevenson explained that she had upgraded her account to Tinder Gold so she could see who had liked her profile.

Images of physics student Ms Stevenson being handcuffed and held down by two male officers sparked anger over Scotland Yard’s policing of the gathering following Ms Everard’s disappearance in south London.

The Met’s actions in breaking up the vigil were initially condemned but later exonerated completely by a report from the policing inspectorate.

In a statement the Met said: “We have contacted the individual who has spoken about these concerns to offer our support and make enquiries. At this time we have not received complaints in relation to this incident, but we will to continue to liaise with them about the circumstances so we can establish whether any misconduct may have occurred, and determine the appropriate next steps.

“Officers must abide by our high standards of professional behaviour both on and off duty. If someone believes that an officer’s conduct or behaviour on any social media or internet platform falls below these standards we would urge them to please contact us so that it can be properly investigated and appropriate action taken.”

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