A couple awarded damages after being arrested for WhatsApp comments about their daughter’s primary school say they hope it makes ‘thought police’ officers ‘think twice’ in the future.
Maxie Allen, 50, says he feels ‘vindicated’ after he and his TV producer partner Rosalind Levine, 46, received a £20,000 payout from Hertfordshire Constabulary.
The pair were quizzed for 11 hours on suspicion of harassment and malicious communications after a ‘trivial’ dispute about their child’s school.
CCTV footage showed six uniformed officers leading the parents away from their suburban home in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, in front of their crying young daughter in January.
Speaking to Daily Mail from their home, Maxie said he was brought to tears when he received notification that the force had admitted liability for unlawful arrest.
He said: ‘It was an emotional moment, when the email came through from the lawyers with the offer to settle.
‘It would be an exaggeration to say I burst into tears, but I did weep when the email came in.
‘It was a moment of relief and vindication, and the moment when our names were cleared.
Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine pictured with their daughters at their home in Borehamwood
‘They have admitted wrongful arrest, admitted unlawful arrest, and they’ve agreed to pay us damages.
‘We’re really pleased that they’ve recognised that this was the wrong thing to do. They made a serious mistake.’
Times radio producer Maxie says he hopes for change in policing and making complaints to the authorities following the admission.
He told the Mail: ‘Ultimately I hope the debate around our case has a positive effect.
‘I think it will make both police and public authorities think twice about doing this kind of thing just to settle an argument.
‘My view is I think the school got the police involved because they wanted to beat us, and they wanted to win an event.
‘I hope that our case has a positive impact, it makes people in authority think more carefully about what they’re going to do.
‘Another thing I’d say is I think ultimately we are lucky, because we had the opportunity, Rosalind and I, to tell our story.’
Maxie says he hopes for change in policing and making complaints to the authorities following their case
Maxie and Rosalind had the case against them dropped after five weeks – but it raised serious questions how a few critical comments shared on WhatsApp can lead to such a police response.
Maxie said: ‘Quite a lot of people close to us were put through the ringer by these events, such as our two children.
‘Our three year old daughter was there when we were arrested. She saw her mum being led away by uniformed officers.
‘Our 80-year-old mother in law had to be brought round to the house to look after the kids.
‘And our neighbours, and some of neighbours were left in tears by the sight of the all the police cars and officers.
‘So this outcome is vindication for our family and friends as much as for us.’
He added: ‘They’ve not apologised. They’re not going to apologise, and I don’t think they were ever going to apologise – sorry is not a word in the police’s vocabulary.
‘But I think the admission and the damages tells its own story.’
Cowley Primary School, in Borehamwood, the school at the centre of events, was contacted for comment.