Police Force Admits Wrongful Arrest in School Dispute
Hertfordshire Constabulary has formally admitted to unlawfully arresting two parents, Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine, in front of their nine-year-old daughter following complaints they made about her primary school in a private WhatsApp group. The police force has agreed to a £20,000 payout to the couple after conceding the legal grounds for their arrest were not met.
The Arrest and Its Aftermath
The incident began when Allen, 50, and Levine, 47, were critical of the leadership at Cowley Hill Primary School in Borehamwood. After expressing their views in a parents' WhatsApp group, the school banned them from its premises. The pair continued to email the school regarding their disabled daughter's needs.
In January, the situation escalated dramatically. Six uniformed officers arrived at the family's home, as captured on their doorbell camera, and arrested the couple on suspicion of harassment, malicious communications, and causing a nuisance on school property. They were held at a police station for 11 hours.
Initially, Hertfordshire police defended the arrests as necessary to investigate the allegations. However, after its investigation concluded with no further action due to insufficient evidence, the force's position changed.
A Legal Admission and a Payout
According to a report in the Times, the force's lawyers admitted this month that the criteria for arrest under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 were not satisfied. This admission rendered the arrest unlawful.
Hertfordshire police subsequently agreed to pay £10,000 to each parent. The force stated these sums were "significantly above that required by the case law" and reflected a "desire to bring matters to a conclusion." Despite this, the force stated there were "no issues of misconduct involving any officer."
Parents Speak Out on "Kafkaesque" Ordeal
Maxie Allen, a Times Radio producer, described the experience as "completely Kafkaesque," stating they were never told which of their communications were considered criminal. Rosalind Levine expressed her ongoing disbelief to Sky News, saying, "We cannot fathom what happened; it doesn't make any sense. We made a few inquiries, we had a bit of banter on a WhatsApp group, and then we were arrested."
The couple had removed their daughter from the school a week before the arrests, following a police officer's advice in December. The case raises significant questions about the boundaries of parental communication and police powers.
