ESSEX POLICE ARREST MAN OVER VIDEO AT DAVID AMESS STATUE

Essex Police arrested a man in Westcliff on Friday morning after a video appeared to show someone spitting on a statue of Sir David Amess. The force said officers are questioning him on suspicion of a public order offence and criminal damage. The statue stands on Southend seafront and commemorates the Conservative MP. The video circulated on social media days after the fifth anniversary of his death. Essex Police said the man remains in custody.

In the footage, a man appeared to film himself spitting on the statue multiple times. Someone shared the clip on TikTok and later deleted it. Essex Police said it received a report about the act on Wednesday and opened an investigation. A spokesperson for Sir David’s family said earlier this week that they were “deeply upset by what they have seen”.

Sir David died at a constituency surgery on 15 October 2021. Ali Harbi Ali stabbed him to death there. A court sentenced Ali to a whole-life order for the murder the following year. Sir David had served as a Conservative MP for nearly 40 years.