London police chief backs officers over action to disperse mourners at Sarah Everard vigil

London police chief Cressida Dick on Sunday backed officers' actions during a vigil for murder victim Sarah Everard, saying that they needed to make a very difficult judgement.

"We had a really big crowd that gathered, lots of speeches. And quite rightly, as far as I can see, my team felt this is now an unlawful gathering, which poses a considerable risk to people's health, according to the [COVID-19] regulations, a really invidious position for my officers to find themselves in," Dick told reporters.

The disappearance of Sarah Everard, 33, as she walked home on the evening of March 3, has provoked a huge outpouring of grief and dismay in Britain at the failure of police and wider society to tackle violence against women.

Police had denied permission for the vigil to go ahead on March 13 at London's Clapham Common, near where Everard was last seen alive, citing regulations aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

But hundreds of people, mostly women, gathered peacefully at the park in defiance of the ban to pay their respects to Everard.

Later on Saturday dozens of police officers marched into the crowd to shouts of "shame on you." Scuffles broke out and officers dragged women away from the scene.

Dick has told reporters that she will not be resigning.

London police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, appeared in court on Saturday charged with her kidnap and murder. Her killing has led many women to share their fears of walking alone and experiences of being harassed or attacked by men in public, with calls for more action to be taken to address violence against women and abuse.

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