Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

TWO young sisters arrested the night after the referendum for standing up to a Loyalist hate mob have finally been told they won’t be prosecuted.

Yes voters Sarah Johnson, 20, and sister Sophie, 16, endured four months of worry as Crown lawyers made up their minds.

And yesterday, free for the first time to talk publicly about their ordeal, they told how Unionist neds ripped a Saltire from their hands and assaulted and abused them amid terrifying scenes in Glasgow’s George Square on September 19.

Police moved in after the girls were attacked. But Sarah and Sophie, who is still at school, were the ones who found themselves in handcuffs.

The allegation was that they were guilty of “obstructing” the police. They were taken to the station, fingerprinted, made to pose for mugshots and put in the cells – for 11 hours.

Neither sister had ever been in trouble before and their treatment caused fury across Scotland.

Prosecutors announced they had dropped the case after more than 10,000 people signed a petition telling police to publicly apologise.

Police Scotland refuse to explain their actions.

Student Sarah said: “We’re delighted with the decision to drop the charges but we should never have been arrested in the first place.”

Record View

George Square was a gathering point for young Yes voters throughout the referendum campaign. Sarah and Sophie wanted to be there on the 19th, regardless of the result.

But when they got there, they found a very different atmosphere to the one of the previous few days.

Several hundred neds, draped in Union Jacks, had occupied the centre of the square. They sang Rule Britannia, made Nazi-style salutes and angrily confronted young Yes supporters.

Witnesses told how the Loyalists hurled bottles and flares. The trouble worsened as darkness fell and there were reports of at least one Saltire being set on fire.

Sophie said: “The Unionists were getting really rowdy, throwing smoke bombs and bottles at the Yes side.”

Sarah said: “We hid our flags in our jackets and walked into the middle of the crowd before sitting down and putting the flags over our shoulders.

“It was a peaceful protest – just to show them we believed we had as much right to be there as they did.

“I don’t believe we were acting against the law in any way.”

The neds did not like being challenged. A mob of 40 to 50 of them clustered around the girls, screaming abuse.

Witnesses said some spat at Sophie and Sarah while others threw beer and lit cigarettes.

Sarah recalled: “We were surrounded immediately. We were spat on, had beer thrown on us and were threatened.

“My sister had her flag grabbed off her.”

At first, according to the girls, the police told them they had the right to protest peacefuly. But they changed their tune after one of the neds grabbed Sophie's flag.

The girls, who live in Glasgow’s west end, were arrested moments later.

The police handcuffed them and took them to Aikenhead Road police station, three miles away on the city’s south side. They were put in separate cells.

Sophie and Sarah were held at 8.30pm and not released until 7.30am the next morning. They sang Flower of Scotland to keep their spirits up behind bars.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

Sarah said: “Spending a night in the cells and having our fingerprints and mugshots taken was too far.

“All we were doing was advocating our democratic right to a peaceful protest. We were standing up for what we believe in.

“We were told we would find out what would happen after two weeks but it was four months before the procurator fiscal made a decision.

“We were concerned about the charges we might face. We didn’t want a criminal record. Both our parents were worried as well.”

While the girls waited to hear if they would be put in the dock, supporters organised an online petition angrily condemning police for their conduct.

A total of 10,350 people signed it before it was passed on to the procurator fiscal.

The girls were staggered by all the support. Sophie said: “It was a complete and utter shock to us.”

The girls’ ordeal hasn’t put them off politics, and they are looking forward to a successful Yes campaign in the future. Sarah said: “We still still want to achieve an independent country.”

The Daily Record asked Police Scotland, who made a number of other arrests during and after the disturbance, why they deemed it necessary to arrest the sisters and hold them overnight.

They refused to comment, saying only: “A report was submitted to the procurator fiscal.”

The Crown Office would not say why it took so long to decide the girls should not be prosecuted. They said only: “The procurator fiscal at Glasgow received a report concerning two women aged 20 and 16, in relation to an alleged incident on September 19, 2014.

“After full and careful consideration of the specific circumstances of the case and the available evidence, the procurator fiscal instructed that there should be no criminal proceedings.”

Try today's quick quiz: