Hello
We thought it would be useful to explain our understanding of what occurred last week between Zombie, Footsteps/TDWP, Rhubarb etc to try to clear up any misunderstandings.
When the situation started to develop last week, we absolutely did not know that Footsteps was TDWP. We unearthed something to suggest that she was near midnight on the night that everything was kicking off. At that point, one MNer was waiting in a public place to meet up with her, and we had been told by Zombie and by Nom that the police were aware of the rendezvous details and were standing by to help if anything went wrong.
We could see from some PMs flying around that posters were saying that the crime reference number checked out, and that the refuge had confirmed they had a space for her, so at this point we thought the best course was to keep channels of communication open. So we didn't ban Footsteps again at that point, despite having realised who she was. We did re-ban her once things had settled down and we had been told she was in a safe place. Given past history, TDWP is not a poster we would consider allowing back to Mumsnet permanently.
At various points throughout the evening we were in phone or text contact with Zombie and with Rhubarb, mostly trying to establish (as far as we could) what was going on and whether people were behaving safely. FWIW, we thought at the time - and still do - that it was a hugely risky thing to do, and not something we would advise or encourage. We would never recommend that any MNer goes into a situation like this, particularly not on her own. As most of you will know, we remind posters regularly that not everyone on the internet is who and what they say they are. We're pulling together some content on internet safety for adults and hope to publish that soon.
We asked Rhubarb at the time (before we had conclusive evidence about Footsteps's identity) whether she thought the person Zombie was meeting was a previously banned poster, and she said that she had no reason to think it was.
Pretty much everything else took place off-board and via channels that we have no access to - so beyond this account we aren't able to say with certainty what has gone on.
MNHQ have commented on this thread
Site stuff
TDWP and recent goings-on
RowanMumsnet · 30/01/2014 13:55
Thanks MNHQ.
Buuuuut ..... Despite being a PBP troll , was TDWP in danger and need to go to a refuge?
Rhubarb, I've been sort of where you are and I know how much it matters and how much it hurts. I left for weeks when I was in a situation where people thought I was someone who had a long thread running which I hadn't even seen. It was stated on the thread that it was me. I only found the thread after I'd deregged, after some ofthe people posted odd replies to another thread I did start and I felt like they must hate me for some reason - I didn't understand but it left me in tears and very very hurt.
I just wanted someone to say something in my defence but no one did. When I finally opened the thread by the other person, I twigged what had gone on and had to re-join and start a thread explaining that it wasn;t me. It was awful - lots of people said 'Oh stop protesting, it makes you look guilty' - I couldn't win and MNHQ refused to verify anything on the thread (I think they may have changed that policy recently - they seem a lot more transparent now)
Mud does stick
I bet there are still people here who think I was the dolally person who was dating a caretaker 
actually I was the dolally one who got sexually harrassed by and reported one, a year or two earlier.
I hope you don't stay away. Not for longer than it takes to dry your tears anyway. I got over it with some bloody lovely PMs from the ones who had thought I was someone else - basically they believed me. It mattered SO much.
You are valued hugely here. Goddamn it, you're famous
Stick around or it will be even more crap.
bloody hell. The responsibility at MNHQ must be overwhelming at times
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