Police find no evidence of poppy seller attack at protest despite Sunak's blast

09 November 2023 , 12:15

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The investigation into the reported assault on Jim Henderson has been dropped (Image: Getty Images)

Police say there is ‘insufficient evidence’ for a reported assault on a poppy seller who claimed he was punched and kicked by protesters at a pro-Palestine rally.

Jim Henderson, 78, said he was attacked while manning a Poppyscotland stall at Edinburgh's Waverley Station. But Assistant Chief Constable Sean O'Callaghan said an ‘extensive’ review of CCTV footage and the identification of key witnesses found ‘no reason to believe that poppy sellers are at any risk or being intentionally targeted’.

The veteran said he had served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles with the Royal Corps of Signals, 32 Signal Regiment and was punched in the back whilst hundreds of protesters occupied the station to protest against the Israel-Gaza war.

Hundreds flooded Edinburgh Waverley station during the protest (Twitter)

He told Mail Online: “I was getting shoved backwards, in danger of falling, and one of them stood on my foot and split my toe. So I thought I had got to get the money out of here. So I went down, and as I bent down someone punched me in the back. And then I got another punch in my side.” But a lack of evidence means the case has now been dropped.

It comes after Rishi Sunak prematurely labelled the supposed assault as ‘repulsive’ before the police investigation had concluded. His official spokesman said on Tuesday afternoon: “This was a repulsive act. Mr Henderson, like all our veterans, has made huge sacrifices for our country. We are confident the police will treat this incident very seriously and use the full force of the law available to them.”

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The statement from British Transport Police added: “Detectives have extensively monitored CCTV and spoken with key identified witnesses. There is insufficient evidence to take the investigation further at this time”

The news comes amid heightened tensions between supporters of the Palestinian people and Israel as the country lays siege on Gaza. More than 10,000 people in Gaza have been killed in Israeli ground and air offensives after Hamas gunmen slaughtered 1,400 in a bloody attack in southern Israel on October 7.

Jake Loader