A teenager arrested while supporting the Love Activist’s occupation of the old Bank of England told her trial: “I was only helping the homeless.”
Ellie Longman was one of four women detained by police outside the Castle Street building in Liverpool city centre last April and May amid fractious scenes.
The women, who were not in the building, are on trial at Liverpool Magistrates Court for refusing to leave the area when ordered to by officers.
Longman, 19, broke down in tears as she gave evidence this afternoon, telling lawyers she felt ‘confused and panicked’ by the police tactics.
Visibly distressed, the Huyton teen told court: “I was there to support the homeless. I got the impression I was being challenged (by police}.
“I feel like I’m being criminalised because I was trying to help homeless people.
“I don’t agree with graffiti and criminal damage, but I have a genuine interest to help the homeless.
“I’d been speaking to them all day, giving them soup, engaging with them.”
Mobile phone footage showed the moment Longman, of Alstonfield Road, was arrested after refusing to leave. Police had issued a Section 35 notice, which legally excludes a person from a particular area.
In the video the teenager is heard declining to give her name to a police officer and ignoring his questions before she is arrested.
Longman then starts urging others: “Film this, film this!
“He’s arresting me for standing here!”
The clip also showed her telling an officer: “I’m not upset, I’m really annoyed.
“I’m standing on public property.”
In court, clearly upset, Longman said: “I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I’ve been dragged to court 14 times over this.”
Under cross-examination from Angela Conlan, prosecuting, she said: “I’d been there since 1pm and it was now 9.30pm.
“I didn’t give my name because I didn’t have to.
“I was confused and panicked. I didn’t understand why I had to move or what I was doing was wrong.”
Asked why she wanted police at the demo to be filmed, Longman added: “I didn’t know what was going to happen during my arrest.
“I had no criminal record. I’d seen other arrests before and I thought, maybe this is what I need to do.”
Longman, together with Ann Cawson, aged 58, of Regina Road in Walton; Kim Scott, aged 39, of The Grange in Warrington Road, Chester and Amanda Doyle, aged 27, of Woolfall Crescent, Huyton, all deny one charge of failing to comply with a Section 35 direction excluding a person from an area.
The anti-austerity sit-in started on April 18 and ended weeks later, on May 12 when police entered the premises.
Banners with the slogan ‘United we stand, divided we fall’ were on show as protesters sang songs and chanted the John Lennon mantra ‘Give Peace A Chance.’
Longman, who turned down an offer to be de-arrested on April 30, admitted in court not leaving the Castle Street area was ‘in hindsight’ the wrong decision.
The teenager, who said police were shining torches at her and supporters, added: “I hadn’t seen this before.
“It was quite frightening as ten minutes before we’d been lighting candles.
“There was a lot of commotion and shouting, there was a lot of hostility. Filming seemed like the right thing to do.”
(Proceeding)
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Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/