Woman arrested at Sarah Everard vigil called by ‘about 50’ police officer on Tinder

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A woman whose photo went viral online after she was arrested at Sarah Everard’s vigil said that “about 50” police officers have since approached her on dating app Tinder.

Patsy Stephenson said she was left “terrified” at their advance and believed the men had reached out to her as an intimidation tactic.

Ms Stevenson is photographed having her hands handcuffed by police officers at the vigil to commemorate Sarah Everard on March 13.

Hundreds attended the vigil at Clapham Common in south London despite the Metropolitan Police saying the event would be illegal under lockdown restrictions.

Speaking to BBC London, Ms Stephenson said the vigil was a “turning point”, as “everyone realized we are all going through the same things”. But, she added, “the dreary atmosphere … became very frightening very quickly.”

Since her arrest, Ms Stevenson claims that “about 50” police officers and security guards have approached her via the dating app Tinder.

She said, “They all had uniforms on their profiles or it said ‘I am a police officer.'” I don’t understand why someone would do that.

“It’s almost intimidating, to say ‘look we can see you,’ which is terrifying to me.

“They know what I’ve been through and they know I’m afraid of the police and they did it for a reason.”

Patsy Stephenson, who wrote on social media following the interview, explained that “she had Tinder gold so I could see who I liked, I don’t get along with. There were 50 people at the same time.”

She also described in detail how she has been targeted with death threats and kidnapping threats since her arrest and said she has become the focus of conspiracy theories.

One conspiracy theory claimed that she was a “crisis actor” who was paid to attend the vigil and arrested.

She told BBC London: “Now there is always that fear when I’m outside and I see someone staring at me. I just want to be able to live the way you live without fear. But then again, I’m a woman.”

Ms Stevenson added that she was not “anti-police” but said the police should start “taking responsibility” for the actions of their officers.

Referring to the Metropolitan Police’s new advice for women to stop a bus if they feel threatened by a lone police officer, she said: “Stop telling women how to change their behavior just to stay alive.

“If they start to look at it right and… listen to people’s concerns and then make the change, we’ll be able to trust them more.”

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