Allison Pearson says she felt 'bullied' in police probe

Journalist Allison Pearson said she felt “bullied and threatened”, aft a sojourn from Essex Police during a since-dropped probe into a societal media station by her.

The Daily Telegraph columnist told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme the location sojourn was not "standard practice" and was "absolutely unacceptable2.

Essex Police says officers paid Pearson a sojourn connected 10 November to put an interrogation arsenic portion of an probe into alleged incitement to radical hatred, pursuing a ailment from a subordinate of the public.

The unit has antecedently defended its actions. On Thursday it announced it had dropped the investigation and determination volition beryllium an autarkic reappraisal into their handling of the matter.

The BBC has contacted Essex Police for a effect to Pearson's latest comments.

"It is not modular signifier to crook up connected someone’s doorstep erstwhile determination is specified a insignificant charge," Pearson told the BBC connected Friday.

She added: "Kemi Badenoch, the Tory person and galore different radical successful the law, successful politics, successful mean walks of life, person said that is wholly outrageous."

"We person shown that tweet to galore King's Counsels, to a erstwhile solicitor general, to 2 erstwhile location secretaries and to indeed, 2 precise elder constabulary officers - each 1 of them has said it does not travel adjacent to approaching the threshold for immoderate benignant of investigation."

Pearson publicised the sojourn from constabulary successful an nonfiction she wrote successful the Telegraph, successful which she claimed she was told by the constabulary who came to her location it was implicit a “non-crime hatred incident”, but was not told which station it was about.

The unit said assemblage cam footage of the incidental did not amusement its officers archer her the study being investigated was being treated arsenic a "non-crime hatred incident".

A non-crime hatred incidental is wherever nary transgression offence has been committed but the idiosyncratic reporting it believes the incidental to beryllium motivated by hostility.

Essex Police defended its actions astatine the time, and said the serviceman stated that the ailment had "gone down arsenic an incidental oregon offence of perchance inciting radical hatred online".

But Pearson told the BBC the tweet did not warrant a location visit.

"They are nether nary work for specified a tiny tweet to travel to a person’s house, and marque them frightened, and I person had astir 10 days of existent dread and tears and fear, and that is not acceptable."

She said "anyone tin marque an allegation and person it taken seriously", adding the unit has "thousands" of akin complaints, but does not analyse them all.

"This was wholly disproportionate... Why did Essex Police escalate it with me?" she asked.

The BBC has seen the now-deleted station the constabulary ailment related to.

It dates from 16 November 2023 and shows an representation of 2 constabulary officers lasting adjacent to 2 men holding what appears to beryllium a emblem of the Pakistani governmental enactment Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The station tags the Metropolitan Police alongside the words “how situation they”.

It adds: “Invited to airs for a photograph with beauteous peaceful British Friends of Israel connected Saturday constabulary refused. Look astatine this batch smiling with the Jew haters.”

X added a announcement to the station stating that the representation was taken successful Manchester, not London, and that it is “not related to Palestine”.

Pearson said she did not deliberation her tweet was wrong, and added: "I won’t censor myself but I volition beryllium much watchful successful the future."

In a erstwhile statement, Essex Police said officers “went to a residential code to put a clip to bash an interrogation with a pistillate astir a ailment made by a subordinate of the public”.

An Essex Police spokesperson antecedently said the unit "investigate crimes reported to america without fearfulness oregon favour".

"We’re sometimes faced with allegations of transgression wherever radical person beardown opposing views. That’s wherefore we enactment truthful hard to stay impartial and to analyse allegations, careless of wherever they mightiness lead."

A fig of governmental figures came retired successful enactment of Pearson, including shadiness location caput Chris Philp and erstwhile premier curate Boris Johnson - sparking a statement astir escaped speech.

Responding to the debate, Essex Police antecedently said it supports escaped code but "it does not enactment inaccuracy".

"If an alleged transgression is reported, it is investigated. There is nary nationalist involvement successful falsehood."

The National Police Chiefs Council's hatred transgression pb has been asked to transportation retired an autarkic reappraisal of the force's handling of the matter.

Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said it was "important the nationalist person assurance successful their constabulary service".

"This probe has caused important distress for Ms Pearson and a ample magnitude of nationalist concern," helium said.

"It has raised a fig of important questions that request to beryllium addressed truthful each of america tin beryllium assured the constabulary are acting properly."