Before December 2020, Child Q, a 15-year-old black schoolgirl from Hackney, was top of her class. Praised every day for her good work and good conduct, her family described her as “happy-go-lucky” and “bubbly” – she was even a prefect in her year.
This was until one day in December, when she was taken out of an exam and strip searched by the Met police while on her period, without adult supervision. Forced to strip naked, spread her legs and use her hands to spread her buttock cheeks, the police did not even allow her to go to the toilet to clean up afterwards.
