Lib Dem candidate for Hackney Central Pauline Pearce. Photo: Jessie Levene

Pauline Pearce, aka the Hackney Heroine, gives Eastlondonlines an interview ahead of the by-election this Thursday in which she is standing as a candidate for the Liberal Democrats.

Pearce shot to fame last summer when she was filmed berating rioters near her home in Dalston. After receiving an award from Boris Johnson and being named as one of the ‘faces of the year’ by the BBC, Pearce is now campaigning to be elected as councillor for Hackney Central in a by-election this Thursday, May 3.

We started by discussing how her life has changed since last August:

The enormous media attention she attracted has had some positive results – she is now on the board of a new free school in her neighbourhood – Pearce has also had her fair share of negative experiences. After revealing publicly that she had served time in prison for smuggling drugs, she was last November the focus of a sting operation by People newspaper, which has never led to a conviction.  Pearce is nonetheless philosophical about the media attention, and her past:

Pearce also revealed that it was in fact the People sting that led to her becoming a candidate for the Liberal Democrats, and spoke about how this decision went down with her father, a staunch Labour voter:

Moving onto the vote itself, Pearce outlined what makes her the standout candidate:

Finally, we returned to the event that made her famous, and whether Hackney has improved since last August:

Voting for the Hackney Central by-election takes place this Thursday, May 3, and we’ll be bringing you more on the other candidates.