Man arrested after memorial honouring innocent mum shot by police is vandalised
The memorial was created for Cherry Groce, a woman who was wrongly shot in front of her children by the Metropolitan Police leaving her paralysed which then sparked the Brixton Uprising in 1985.
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The Source Exclusive: Man arrested after memorial honouring innocent mum shot by police is vandalised
The Metropolitan Police say a 29-year-old man is being held in custody on suspicion of criminal damage
STORY BY MELISSA SIGODO
SEPTEMBER 5, 2025
A memorial for Cherry Groce, an innocent woman who was shot in front of her children by Metropolitan Police in 1985 has been vandalised.
The statue honouring the mum whose shooting sparked the Brixton Uprising that same year was unveiled in south London’s Windrush Square in 2021.
Cherry who went on to spend 26 years in a wheelchair after being left paralysed from the chest down died in April 2011.
But it wasn’t until a jury inquest in March 2014 that found police failures had contributed to her death.
The Metropolitan Police say they have arrested a 29-year-old man who is being held in custody on suspicion of criminal damage following the vandalism.
The incident is now the third of its kind to happen in Windrush Square this year.
Speaking to The Source, Cherry’s son Lee Lawrence says he was left feeling “hurt and angered” by the vanadalism.
He said: “This [memorial] is there to acknowledge my mum and what she went through in that terrible injustice.
“It’s there to commend a community for their tenacity and their courage for standing up against that injustice.
“Therefore, the work that we continue to do around that is making sure that people are aware and that the memorial represents community healing.
“So, to know that somebody is going to damage something that is so meaningful and so meaningful to the community it hurts.”
Lee says he was in the middle of auditioning actors for a play in memory of his mother when he received a call about the vandalism which left him feeling extremely low.
Lee said: “I was just in the middle of auditioning some young actors for a play that we are doing in memory of my mum on the 28th of September which would mark the 40- year commemoration of when the [shooting] happened.
“So, we're in this space, and you're on a high, because you're working with these young people and you're seeing how enthusiastic they are to get involved and want to be a part of it.
“It was a really beautiful moment, and then all of a sudden, the next thing I know, I get a call saying that the memorial was vandalised. You can imagine you go from an extreme high to an extreme low.”
Lee says the memorial has since been cleaned up but he and his family will visit Windrush Square today to “communicate how they feel.”
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “A 29-year-old man remains in police custody after he was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage following a report of vandalism to an exhibition in Windrush Square, Brixton.
“Officers attended the scene to carry out initial enquiries on Wednesday, 3 September. After viewing CCTV footage, they were able to make a swift arrest.
“This incident has understandably caused concern within the community – local residents can therefore expect to see an increase in police presence over the next few days. We also continue to liaise directly with those impacted by the damage.
“The investigation continues.”