Mourners queuing to pay their respects to the Queen were allegedly sexually assaulted by a man who jumped into the River Thames to escape, a court heard. Adio Adeshine, 19, of East Street, Walworth allegedly exposed himself and pushed mourners from behind as they queued at Victoria Tower Gardens on Wednesday evening after Westminster Hall opened its doors to the public. He is said to have waded into the River Thames in a failed attempt to evade officers before emerging and being arrested. Adeshine was remanded in custody on Friday after appearing at Westminster Crown Court on two counts of sexual assault and two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order. DAC Stuart Cundy said: “Due to ongoing legal proceedings, I am unable to discuss the full details of this incident. As those in the queue will have seen, officers were on hand to immediately respond and arrest the man.
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“Flight attendants and police officers in London are present all the way to help and support those queuing to pay their respects to Her Majesty The Queen. There were very few crimes or other incidents where officers had to intervene. “I continue to ask all members of the public to remain vigilant and if you see anything that doesn’t seem right, please report it to an officer or manager.” Victoria Tower Gardens is on the final stretch of the zig-zag queue that can take three hours to clear after mourners cross the Thames at Lambeth Bridge. Thousands have flocked to London for the chance to see Her Majesty’s coffin ahead of Monday’s funeral, with mourners queuing overnight into Friday. Later in the morning, government officials urged people not to join the queue until at least 4 p.m. Officials had braced for a queue that could stretch up to ten miles, from the Palace of Westminster to the interior of Southwark Park, near Bermondsey.
