EDINBURGH, United Kingdom — A
22-year-old man who heckled Prince Andrew as he walked behind his mother
Queen Elizabeth II's coffin in Edinburgh will not be prosecuted, the Crown Office
said on Tuesday.
اضافة اعلان
"After full and careful consideration
of all facts and circumstances, the case was dealt with by way of an offer of
an alternative to prosecution," a spokesman said.
The incident occurred as Andrew, the
queen's second son, walked in the procession from the
Palace of Holyroodhouse
in Edinburgh to St Giles' Cathedral on September 12.
As it passed, a heckler called Andrew a
"sick old man" in reference to his links to the American pedophile financier
Jeffrey Epstein and other claims.
Andrew, who denied the claims, settled a US
civil lawsuit over the allegations in February for an undisclosed sum.
The protester was then seen being bundled
away by police. He was arrested shortly afterwards and charged with public
order offences.
Alternatives to prosecution can include
warnings, work orders, fines, and compensation orders.
But the Crown Office, which brings
prosecutions in Scotland, said it could not say what alternative was used in
this case.
Prosecutors also said no action would be
taken against a woman who held an anti-monarchy sign before the formal
declaration in Edinburgh that the queen's son Charles was now king.
The woman, also aged 22, was arrested
outside St Giles' Cathedral on September 11.
"After careful consideration of the
facts and circumstances of the case, including the available admissible
evidence, the procurator fiscal decided that there should be no proceedings
taken at this time," the Crown Office said. "The Crown reserves the right
to proceed in the future if it is appropriate and in the public interest to do
so."
British police faced criticism from civil
liberties groups for their treatment of anti-monarchy protesters challenging
Charles's automatic accession to the throne.
Other demonstrators during the official
10-day national mourning period for the queen were moved on and threatened with
arrest.
The queen died aged 96 on September 8 at
her Scottish Highland retreat of Balmoral after a year of declining health.
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