Two men have been arrested and charged following disturbances during protest action on High Road, Epping, last Friday night, 29 August.
At around 9.30pm, officers manning a police cordon noticed a white car driving recklessly on the wrong side of the road, heading directly towards them. The driver was quickly stopped and arrested on suspicion of drink driving.
Ross Ellis, 49, from Orchard Croft, Harlow, was charged with failing to provide a specimen. He appeared at 1 Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, 30 August.
In a separate incident at 9.20pm, a police officer sustained an ankle injury while managing the protest. Jimmy Hillard, 52, of Chequers Road, Loughton, has been charged with assaulting an emergency worker. He is due to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 1 September.
Meanwhile, a third man remains in custody after being arrested on suspicion of violent disorder as investigations continue.
Assistant Chief Constable Glen Pavelin said: “As I said last night, the right to protest does not include a right to commit crime. We’ve worked closely with our Crown Prosecution Service colleagues overnight to secure these charges, and the cases will now proceed through the court system appropriately. To our residents in Epping, you will continue to see a policing presence in the area throughout this afternoon and into this evening.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
