Journalist detained for’malicious’ internet postings she allegedly made against Catholic clergy
On Monday, police detained a Catholic journalist who has been an outspoken opponent of transgender ism.
Mother-of-five and wife-to-a-Catholic-priest Caroline Farrow has been accused of harassment and slander.
In a long tweet thread, she claimed that two police officers barged into her Guildford house as she was making dinner for her family, searched her, and hauled her away for interrogation.
Mrs. Farrow seems to have shared photos in the thread depicting a police officer’s hand on her door and another cop doing a body search.
Mrs. Farrow claims police took her electronics without a warrant, to which she was informed she was wrong.
“I requested documentation supporting several assertions. She said that the police told her, “We don’t have any yet, that’s why we are talking to you, to hear your side of the story.” She also expressed concern that the police might do this.”
She said that she was playing the organ during Mass when Surrey Police showed her the offensive posts and that she had nothing to do with their creation.
After many hours of questioning, she was given the all clear to go.
In yet another tweet, she proclaimed, “In the complete lack of proof, the police relied on the complainants’ word and the printed versions of their posts from the [online forum] KiwiFarms. It defies belief.”
As part of an investigation into claims of malicious communications (sending of obscene, excessively offensive messages, threats, or information) and harassment, Surrey Police stated in a statement that officers had visited a residence in the Guildford region.
A 48-year-old lady was taken into custody “on suspicion of both offenses,” the statement reads.
“Section 19 of PACE was used to justify the seizure of many electronic devices from this location (the Police and Criminal Evidence Act). In cases when an electronic device is suspected of having been used in the commission of a crime, for instance, it may be common practice for law enforcement to confiscate the item as part of an investigation.
“She was transported to the Guildford Police Department for questioning. She was freed pending the outcome of the continuing inquiry.”
David Bentley, the temporary Chief Inspector of Detectives, made the following statement: “There is a lot of talk on social media about the purported motives for this inquiry.
“It is crucial that we do not pre-empt or prejudice any future actions at any level, thus we cannot freely describe every step of our inquiry or the details of a complaint on social media.
“It is our responsibility to investigate all criminal allegations, including this one, in which a supposedly obscene communication was sent, and to draw whatever conclusions we can from the available facts. If that’s the case, we investigate the claim and compile further information to back it up or refute it. That’s the precise procedure that’s being used here.
“The appropriate probes regarding these claims are still very much in progress. It is our responsibility to prevent any compromise to the results of an investigation, hence we will not be giving updates on the status of this particular case.”
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