Woman who 'nudged' Insulate Britain protester with 4X4 charged with assault

17 December 2021, 12:29

Motorist furiously tries to move Insulate Britain protesters with her car

By Sophie Barnett

A mum who allegedly nudged an Insulate Britain protester with her Range Rover to try and move her out of the road in Essex has been charged with assault.

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Sherrilyn Speid, 34, of North Road, Purfleet, has been charged with dangerous driving and assault by beating by Essex Police.

It follows an incident on October 13, where a woman was filmed storming out of her car and shouting at the protesters who were blocking the road near the Dartford Crossing.

Confronting members of the group, the footage shows the woman shouting: "Move out the way. I'm not joking, my son needs to get to school and I need to get to work."

"I don't care what the issue is, my son is 11, he needs to get to school today," the furious mother is seen shouting in the clip.

"So move out of the way and let me get my son to school!" she says.

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The footage also shows the woman trying to nudge protesters out of the road with her vehicle.

A spokesman for Essex Police confirmed it has received authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service to charge a woman in connection with the incident in St Clements Way, Grays, on October 13.

The spokesman said: "Sherrilyn Speid, 34, of North Road, Purfleet, will be summonsed to appear at Basildon Magistrates' Court on January 6 to be charged with dangerous driving and assault by beating.

"This incident occurred while the road was being disrupted and our complex investigation into that disruption is ongoing."

The force confirmed it made 94 arrests in connection with the disruption caused on the M25 and M11 and their nearby feeder roads in September and October.

The spokesman added that those investigations are progressing, and they are in consistent dialogue with the CPS and other affected forces.

"When dealing with these incidents, we police them without fear or favour in a manner to keep everyone at the scene safe and we have consistently said our priority is to keep our county’s roads moving," the spokesman added.

The female protester, who was demonstrating on behalf of Insulate Britain, remains under investigation following the incident.