Epsom protest turns chaotic as false rape claims spark unrest and arrests
Dozens of people marched through Epsom despite police insisting they had found no evidence of a gang rape offence or that asylum seekers were involved.
Four people remain in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of offences, including criminal damage and assaulting an emergency worker, during the disorder.
Protesters, some riding motorbikes, shut down Epsom town center in Surrey on Monday night.
It came after detectives investigating an alleged rape of a woman outside of a church after she left a nightclub said there is no evidence the incident took place as reported or that any immigrants or asylum seekers were involved.
But some started throwing eggs at a block of flats and a Travelodge, mistakenly believed by protesters to hold asylum seekers. But police denied the misinformation.
Shortly after, riot police charged them down, pinning one man to the floor.
Eggs and a beer can were hurled at the police line as people shouted ‘You are going to start a riot’.
Later, a mob demanded entry into a Premier Inn, but the manager meets them outside and denies the chain had ever been used to house migrants.
‘Can we have a look around?’ one of them asks as a bemused guest checks out.
The march started peacefully before protesters drowned out the Chief Inspector from Surrey Police.
She was drowned out by shouts as she explained to the crowd: ‘We have never confirmed a crime had taken place. We confirmed that an investigation is in progress.’
She was then escorted back into the station.
One woman spoke through a megaphone demanding clarification around the alleged rape case.
She said: ‘We are concerned that no parent, close friend or relative has come forward publicly. This raises further questions.
‘Public trust in policing has been damaged in recent years.’
A Surrey Police spokesman said: ‘Police are in attendance at an organized protest in Epsom which has escalated to public disorder, including missiles being thrown at them.
‘Officers have surrounded a residential property and nearby hotels after they were targeted by protesters purporting that they were locations housing those seeking asylum.
‘This is not the case and is wholly inaccurate information. The escalating behavior of some of the protesters and the threat to officer safety has required officers to put on full protective public order uniform.
They added: ‘Currently we have made four arrests, and we will continue to deal with criminal offences and public disorder, taking robust action against anyone who commits a criminal offence.’
Surrey police said earlier this week a woman in her 20s reported being attacked by a group of men on her way home from Labyrinth night club in the early hours of Saturday outside Epsom Methodist Church.
They added the rape was believed to have taken place between 2 am and 4 am and left the victim ‘very shaken’.
But Surrey Police said in their latest statement: ‘We are aware that speculation and concern about the report we received remains, and we reiterate that our enquiries remain ongoing.
‘These enquiries have included reviewing an extensive amount of CCTV footage from the area, carrying out forensics investigations and conducting house-to-house enquiries. To date, we have not found any evidence that the offence took place as reported.’
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