- Covers Home Affairs Committee evidence on arrests during Charles III’s coronation.
- Discusses caselaw on unlawful detention.
- One arrestee is suing the Met Police for alleged unlawful detention during the coronation.
The BBC reported on 5 October 2023 that the Metropolitan Police do not intend to take any further action against 21 people who were arrested in the Mall and on Whitehall on 6 May 2023, the day of King Charles III’s coronation, in order to prevent a breach of the peace or deal with public nuisances. While it is commonplace for arrested persons not to face legal proceedings for a variety of reasons, including that a subsequent police investigation has been unable to establish that they have committed a crime, the decision not to charge the protestors with any offences in this instance is significant, not least because it raises several questions including whether their arrests were lawful. In the discussion which follows, it will be necessary to have regard to a parliamentary statement made following the coronation, as well
