No charge for woman who spread fake name after Southport attack

A businesswoman who was arrested aft sharing a fake sanction for the Southport attacker online volition look nary further action.

Bernadette Spofforth, from Chester, was arrested connected 8 August aft reposting the fake name, commenting that if it were existent determination would beryllium "hell to pay".

The 55-year-old, who has much than 50,000 followers, aboriginal deleted the station and apologised aft realising the accusation was incorrect.

Cheshire Police did not sanction Ms Spofforth, but confirmed a 55-year-old pistillate from Chester would look nary further action.

Ms Spofforth said her transgression was "sharing a tweet which I deleted and apologised for sharing arsenic soon I realised it contained inaccurate information".

She said: "As has present been shown, the thought that 1 azygous tweet could beryllium the catalyst for the riots which followed the atrocities successful Southport is simply not true."

Ms Spofforth, who regularly posts governmental comments connected X connected subjects including nett zero, sex issues, the pandemic and state of speech, said contempt "repeatedly insisting I'd done thing illegal" constabulary officers "dragged" her from her location and held her for 36 hours successful a cell.

Ms Spofforth added: "What I've experienced implicit the past fewer weeks is thing successful examination to the suffering of the tragic victims successful Southport. And I'm not trying to comparison the two.

"But I americium conscionable an mean idiosyncratic with mean opinions and I deliberation it's important that the nationalist should cognize however mean radical tin beryllium treated.

"The nightmare my household and I person lived done implicit the past period could hap to anyone. And successful Britain successful 2024 that's unacceptable."

Users including histrion Laurence Fox and broadcasters Dan Wootton and Julia Hartley-Brewer each expressed enactment for her pursuing the quality that she would look nary charges.

False claims were shared online astir a 17-year-old charged implicit the murders successful Southport successful July of 3 girls Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King.

It was wide quoted successful viral posts connected X which wrongly suggested the attacker was an asylum seeker who arrived successful the UK by vessel past year.

Cheshire Police said: "A pistillate who was arrested successful narration to an inaccurate societal media station has been released without charge.

"The 55-year-old pistillate from adjacent Chester was arrested connected Thursday August 8 pursuing allegations successful narration to a societal media station containing inaccurate accusation astir the individuality of the attacker successful the Southport murders.

"Following a thorough investigation, a determination has been made that nary further enactment volition beryllium taken owed to insufficient evidence."