A woman from Liverpool who was mistakenly arrested for involvement in the Southport riots has received an out-of-court settlement from Merseyside Police. Jacqueline Cowdall, 53, was detained after being wrongly identified from CCTV footage.
Arrest at home
Ms Cowdall was doing her weekly shopping when her Ring doorbell alerted her to a group of police officers outside her home. Video footage showed eight officers demanding she open the door. She said they shouted at her to go to a police station within an hour, and she was shaking so much she could not hold a pen.
She had been named in a tip-off as one of the rioters who caused havoc in Southport in July 2024. The violence followed the murders of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alex da Silva Aguiar by Axel Rudakubana. Misinformation about the attacker led a mob to gather at Southport Mosque, where property was damaged, police cars were set on fire, and 53 officers were injured.
Mistaken identity
When Ms Cowdall arrived home, neighbours asked what she had done, as eight officers are not sent for nothing. At the police station, 12 officers formed a line as she arrived. She was arrested on suspicion of violent disorder. During questioning, officers showed her footage of the rioter they thought was her. She pointed out the woman was younger and larger, and lacked a distinctive birthmark on her arm.
Despite this, she was held for almost four and a half hours before being released with no further action. She returned home to find officers had searched her property and left it in disarray.
Impact and settlement
Ms Cowdall, who lives alone and suffers from OCD, said she was mortified that officers had trampled through her home in boots, going through everything including her knicker drawer. She said the experience left her feeling unsafe in her own home and that she has had to replace her bed, carpets, and most of her clothes. She said she will never trust the police again and wants an apology.
She instructed lawyers at Broudie Jackson Canter and brought a civil claim. Merseyside Police has agreed to pay a settlement, though it denies fault. A spokesperson said the arrest was part of a thorough and complex investigation involving a huge volume of CCTV, and that information was deemed reliable at the time. The real offender was later identified and prosecuted.
