Man arrested after video of David Amess statue ‘being spat on’ goes viral

A man has been arrested after a video which went viral on social media appeared to show a person spitting on a memorial to murdered MP Sir David Amess.

Essex Police said the man, in his 30s, is being questioned on suspicion of a public order offence and criminal damage.

In a now deleted video shared on TikTok, a man appeared to film himself spitting multiple times on a statue of Sir David on Southend seafront, days after the fifth anniversary of his death.

Essex Police said they received a report about the incident on Wednesday and an investigation was launched.

The force said a man in his 30s was arrested in Westcliff on Friday morning and remains in custody.

A spokesperson for the family of Sir David said earlier this week that they were “deeply upset by what they have seen”.

Sir David was stabbed to death at a constituency surgery on 15 October 2021 by so-called Islamic State fanatic Ali Harbi Ali, who was sentenced to a whole-life order for the murder the following year.

The Conservative MP served for nearly 40 years until he was killed at the age of 69.