The Metropolitan Police broke the law when they blocked plans for a vigil for a murdered York woman, the High Court has declared.

Vigil organisers declared the judgement was a "victory for women" and showed the force's "total disregard for women's human rights".

Wayne Couzens was a serving Met police officer when he murdered former Fulford School student Sarah Everard, 33, last March.

Reclaim These Streets wanted to remember her in a socially-distanced event on Clapham Common, London on March 10, 2021.

The four women from the organisation who planned the vigil withdrew after being told by the force they would face fines of £10,000 each and possible prosecution under coronavirus laws if the event went ahead, and a spontaneous vigil and protest took place instead.

Tom Hickman QC, for the four women told the High Court: "The most significant 'threat' identified was not public health but the perceived reputational risk to the (force), including in the event they were perceived to be permitting or facilitating the vigil."

The court heard notes from a Met gold command meeting before the vigil said; "We are seen as the bad guys at the moment and we don't want to aggravate this".

Lord Justice Warby said Met Police public statements against the vigil had a "chilling effect" and contributed to the organisers' decision to cancel it.

Two senior judges agreed with the women the force's decisions were "not in accordance with the law" and breached their human rights to freedom of speech and assembly.

Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice one year and one day after the vigil's date, the women's solicitor Theodora Middleton said: "Today's judgment is a victory for women.

"Last March, women's voices were silenced. Today's judgment conclusively shows that the police were wrong to silence us.

"The decisions and actions by the Met Police in the run-up to the planned vigil for Sarah Everard last year were unlawful and the judgment sets a powerful precedent for protest rights.

"We feel vindicated by today's judgment. This case exposes the Metropolitan Police's total disregard for women's human rights to assembly and expression.

The Met disputed the case brought by Reclaim These Streets and argued there was no exception for protest in the coronavirus rules at the time.

The policing of the spontaneous vigil that took place drew criticism from across the political spectrum after women were handcuffed on the ground and led away by officers.

But a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services concluded the police "acted appropriately" when dealing with the event, but also found it was a "public relations disaster" and described some statements made by members of the force as "tone deaf".