Three people have been convicted of failing to comply with a direction to stop protesting outside the home of an MP.
The three members of the group Youth Demand were accused of tying a banner to a large tree in front of the home of Keir Starmer MP on the afternoon of Tuesday, 9 April. The banner read ‘Starmer stop the killing’ and had a number of red hands on it. Several children’s shoes were left on a walkway to the front door of the property.
Officers attended and gave the group a direction to cease their protest.
Daniel Formentim, aged 24, Zosia Lewis, aged 23, and Leonorah Ward, aged 21, were arrested after refusing to comply with that direction.
They appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 19 June where they were found guilty and sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. They were also given a community order and were prohibited from entering the NW5 postcode.
A family member told the court that, upon returning to the address and seeing the protest in the street outside, they decided not to return home and waited nearby in their car for more than an hour for the three defendants to leave the area.
Detective Inspector Chris Rudd, from the Met’s Public Order Crime Team, said: “We absolutely respect the right to peaceful protest, even on sensitive and highly charged issues.
“However we also recognise the right of people, including those with a public profile and their families, to go about their lives without experiencing fear and harassment.
“There are plenty of places in London to protest without targeting people at their homes. The actions of the officers at the scene and the decision reached by the court today show that this issue will be dealt with decisively.”
Details of those sentenced:
Daniel Formentim (22/11/1999) of Burley, Leeds.
Zosia Lewis (21/01/2001) of Newcastle upon Tyne.
