Three Black women: ‘Bitten, mocked with monkey chants, called slaves’ and then prosecuted for ‘self-defence’

The leader of civil rights advocacy group, Southall Black Sisters has called for the Crown Prosecution Service, the British Transport Police and the Metropolitan Police to apologise for wrongly prosecuting three black women for assault after they were the victims of a racist attack on the tube.

As minorities across Britain face the threat of violence by resurgent far-right gangs, Selma Taha told Channel 4 News in an exclusive interview alongside Danae Thomas and Davina Riggon, that she has no faith in the Crown Prosecution Service or the police to be able to differentiate between minorities protecting themselves and racist aggressors.

Taha also said the authorities were using legislation designed to protect minorities to prosecute them: “I don’t have any confidence that the CPS is able to differentiate between those that are rightfully trying to challenge and stand up for themselves but more importantly protect themselves.”

In September 29th 2023 Selma Taha, Danae Thomas and Davina Riggon say they were the victims of a racist attack on the northern line at Kings Cross Station.

In the incident the women say they were subject to monkey chants, racial profanities and called “slaves” before Selma Taha was bitten by an intoxicated white female passenger. It soon emerged that during the abuse an off duty Metropolitan Police officer had been present the entire time but the women said had only intervened once the altercation turned physical.

Yet in the aftermath of the incident at Kings Cross the women believed their attacker had won sympathy from the police by crying. When the women angrily appealed to the officers about her conduct Danae Thomas accused a police officer of failing to listen to the womens’ concerns and being unable to understand their experience as black women.

“We were shouting but that is because we were not being heard,” said Davina Riggon. “Then they pinpointed it on us and the narrative changed.”

Danae Thomas told the officer: “you’re a white police officer and you’re not listening”. The officer then asked Danae Thomas “what’s that [race] got to do with anything?”

Ms. Thomas later told the officer, “can you understand her crying to you, and as soon as you turn, she sticks her tongue out at me, can you understand how triggering that is. Because she is a white woman  or a woman of another ethnicity presenting herself as a victim. And this is my everyday life. Remember you walk in a privilege that I’m not privy to.” The officer then accused Danae Thomas of being racist.

In a heated exchange in which police officers were sworn at and lasted over 10 minutes Danae Thomas would be charged for racially aggravated harassment against the officer. In contrast her abuser was given a caution for racially aggravated conduct and no further action was taken.

The British Transport Police say “we presented the evidence available to us from body worn video, witness testimonials and CCTV footage. CPS deemed the evidence met the threshold for charge.

Detectives carried out a thorough investigation into this incident to establish the full circumstances. This included extensive reviews of CCTV footage, body worn video, and witness testimonies to provide independent accounts of the incident.

Our findings were then submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service who deemed the evidence met the threshold to authorise charges. However, two of the women who were offered cautions for public order offences declined and were therefore charged. The CPS subsequently dropped all charges before the trial due to an unrealistic prospect of conviction.

We are satisfied detectives carried out a thorough investigation into allegations from both parties.”

The Crown Prosecution Service case against the women collapsed when the prosecutor admitted they were unlikely to win a conviction.

In an emotional interview in which the women speak together for the first time they ask how minorities can trust the system at a time they desperately need it to work to protect them from a resurgent far right intent on causing harm.

Danae Thomas, Davina Riggon and Selma Taha’s interview raises concerns over how the criminal justice system disproportionately prosecutes minorities and understands race legislation.

The collapsed case follows a string of other controversial prosecutions by the Crown Prosecution Service and police to prosecute or investigate ethnic minorities for racial offences when they themselves are expressing concerns about racism.

In response a CPS spokesperson said: “Our handling of this case – or any case – was not in any way dictated by racial bias. New information came to light prior to the trial which meant there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction and the case was discontinued at the earliest opportunity.”