A man who was arrested on his way to an anti-royal demonstration on the day of the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton received an apology and compensation from London police, his lawyer said Friday.
Adam Moniz's lawyer Sarah McSherry said the Metropolitan Police had apologized to Moniz for arresting him at Victoria train station on April 29 after they were threatened with legal action.
Moniz had been on his way to a peaceful, authorized demonstration run by the anti-monarchy group Republic in central London when he was stopped by police. McSherry said Moniz had no criminal record and no intention of committing a crime, but was held in a police cell for "anticipated breach of the peace." He was released without being charged six hours later after the royal wedding was over.
In a letter to Moniz, Det. Supt. Mark Eley said: "the policing of large scale public order events and demonstrations is frequently a challenging task for police officers. It requires a careful balance of the rights and freedoms of often conflicting interests."
It added: "I apologize for the fact that in this case, the balance was not achieved and you were arrested."
McSherry said police had agreed to pay Moniz 5,000 pounds ($7,740) compensation and cover his legal fees in an out of court settlement.