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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Jasmine Allday

Sarah Everard vigil woman breaks down on anniversary of murder watching arrest clip

The woman arrested at the Sarah Everard vigil broke down as she watched the clip of her arrest, a year on from Sarah's murder.

Patsy Stevenson appeared on ITV morning show Lorraine today to discuss women's safety, a year after Sarah was murdered by serving police officer Wayne Couzens as she walked home one evening.

Activist Patsy was arrested by police at the vigil held for Sarah a few days later and she struggled to speak as she explained to host Lorraine Kelly about that moment, which saw police hold her down on the floor in what many described as heavy-handedness.

Patsy was tearful as she watched the arrest clip (ITV)

Asked by Lorraine if she felt anything had changed, she said: "In regards to women's safety, nothing has changed at all. That's the thing - it's sparked such interest around the world and still nothing's happened. So it's like what has to happen for actual change."

The presenter then asked her if she felt we, as a nation, were "in any way closer to see women feeling safer on the streets now the issue has been highlighted," she admitted: "I just don't think we are.

Patsy was arrested at the Sarah Everard vigil (James Veysey/REX/Shutterstock)

"I think we can look back in history, and there are so many points when we're like oh yeah women's safety matters and women's rights matter and still nothing happened. It's usually activists on the front line who are pushing for legislation to be put in place, or not put in place. I just don't know what more needs to happen before we can actually make a change rather than say what we're going to do."

Lorraine then broadcasted the clip of Patsy being arrested at the vigil.

"It is really strange, I think - it's strange because I just didn't expect anything like that to happen," she said as she reacted to it, getting tearful as she recalled how the atmosphere just suddenly "changed".

Lorraine spoke with Patsy about women's rights (ITV)

"I've never been in trouble with the police or anything like that before. I'd not even really been to a protest before, I'd been to a Black Lives Matter protest ages ago. And it was a vigil, I didn't expect anything to happen," she explained.

"It was just meant to be very quiet and solemn and just paying our respects. And then it just turned and the atmosphere turned and then all I remember is looking up and seeing cameras there."

Lorraine then comforted her, adding: "It's horrible. It's distressing you now, I can see that."

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