A letter of claim for damages for wrongful arrest and unlawful detention has been sent to the police by Saunders Solicitors Ltd acting for Piers Corbyn.
“The orders to close down the Trafalgar Square rallies (of 19 and 26th September) were completely unnecessary, but appear to have had political backing at the highest level, from Sadiq Khan, the Labour Mayor of London, who declared on 18 September that all demonstrations were now illegal. He was echoing the words of the Conservative Home Secretary, Priti Patel who had already declared large political gatherings illegal on 8 June 2020. This is simply untrue - the right to freedom of assembly is not just a human right protected by law, but the new No.2 Regulations even give an exemption for political protest.
I have now instructed my lawyers to sue both the Metropolitan Police and the South Yorkshire Police, following my arrests on 29 August in London, and 5 September in Sheffield. I am claiming damages for wrongful arrest, unlawful imprisonment and assault. In neither case did the police have any good reason to arrest me, and I was detained for 10 hours and 24 hours respectively. Letters of claim have been sent out today. In Sheffield my arrest had the effect of preventing me attending the rally next day in Glasgow, and the police then imposed bail conditions that would have forbidden me from attending any protest rally in the UK for the next 2 months! I asked my lawyer to fight this and within a week the bail conditions were lifted. I will continue to protest against global ‘lockdown’ policies and attend rallies across the UK. They will not silence me!
I still have further court cases to fight - the £10,000 fine for the protest on 29 August is likely to go to Westminster Magistrates’ Court some time before the end of the year, and the £10,000 fine from Sheffield on 5 September, has a first hearing on 3 November 2020.
I hope to update you soon about my cases from the May protests in Hyde Park which are due to be heard together at my trial on 23 October 2020.”
Piers Corbyn
Email: pierscorbynofficial@protonmail.com
Phone: 07946 545943
Solicitors: Richard Parry
Barrister: Nick Stanage