A British man has reportedly been arrested for posting a photo of himself holding a gun on social media.
The image was taken in the United States and uploaded to LinkedIn in August. And despite the gun being legal and the image taken on private property, the photo sparked a nightmarish legal drama with West Yorkshire Police, according to IT contractor John Richelieu-Booth, Metro reported.
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Police initially went to his home and warned him about the post, citing complaints from people who had seen the image. Officers then returned late on the night of August 24 and arrested Richelieu Booth.
This was just the beginning, with the Yorkshire Post reporting that constant police presence had strained his relationships with neighbors and other people, and he even had his equipment and equipment confiscated by officers.
Perhaps most perplexing, the caption and accompanying text contained nothing threatening or legally concerning. Richelieu-Booth also told the media that he tried to explain to officers that the photo was not taken in the UK, but in the US, but to no avail.
Richelieu Booth was reportedly held in jail overnight and questioned on charges of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. After being released on bail, authorities visited him three more times through October, Metro reported.
Although the case was ultimately dropped due to lack of evidence, Richelieu Booth is now speaking out against what he believes is an “Orwellian” nightmare.
“For the past three months, I haven’t been able to sleep and have been living in fear of the knocks on my door,” he said. “I didn’t talk to my neighbors for four months. It hurt my ability to run a business. I thought 1984 was a book, not an instruction manual.”
Media outlets are now questioning the decision to arrest Richelieu Booth for his social media posts, but this is apparently not unique to his situation.
“The evidence seen by The Yorkshire Post suggests that there was not the slightest chance of a successful prosecution, and serious questions remain about the police standards and motives applied to this case, and about the leaders who allowed him to be pursued until the day after this newspaper applied to cover his impending trial,” the Yorkshire Post wrote. “It is not enough that West Yorkshire Police, as they have always done, hide behind the completely inappropriate response that Mr Richelieu Booth may have made to complain about his treatment and do not comment.”
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police told Metro that the charges at the heart of the crisis were based on concerns that the first photo was a threat.
“Police received a complaint of grievous and distressing stalking, which was partially related to social media posts, some of which included photographs of a man posing with various firearms, which the complainant considered threatening,” the statement said. “Police investigated the man and charged him with public order offenses, but the case was subsequently discontinued by the CPS.”
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