Just been accused of being a person of interest in a malicious communications offence that happened years ago

[justbeenaccused]

I received a letter from the police summoning me to the station of a voluntary interview. I am a person of interest in a malicious comms case that occured in 2019.

Does this mean I am a suspect, or a witness etc.?
How can I find out who reported me ?

Ah good. You show your ignorance in your comment. Glad it amused you though.

A "controversial" thing to the police might be something like the following conversation:
"If you are female, you might be disadvantaged by this policy"
"Yes, women often are disadvantaged"

^^ You are suggesting female and 'women' are the same thing, which could be taken as transphobic.

So you may have no idea what someone has "taken offence" at.

I'd want to make sure there isn't a mistaken identity though. Anyone can put anything as a username on twitter etc.

What knowledge do you have to back up that statement?

They still can’t undelete an erased phone, or even tell when it was erased

I like your confidence. I'm just not sure I'd take advice from you on what the police can and can't do.

When I was arrested in April, I had deleted my old phone (to transfer it to my dad). The forensic report from the police said “this appears to be a new iphone”.

HTH.

This is absolutely ridiculous. Show me one case where someone has been interrogated, arrested or send to trial for saying something like that?

I just want to add my voice to those saying get proper legal advice and take it. Without knowing the full circumstances no one on here can tell you the best thing to say, as they just don't know. I would absolutely co-operate with a voluntary interview though, as it will then be at a time of your choosing, and you will go to the police station, be interviewed and leave. If you are arrested it will be at a time the police choose, however inconvenient it is to you, and you are likely to end up sat in a cell for hours unnecessarily.

Yeah, sure.

When I was arrested in April, I had deleted my old phone (to transfer it to my dad). The forensic report from the police said “this appears to be a new iphone”

What did the rest of it say? and you think the forensics weren't giving the police a teensy hint with the 'appears to be'? because even I (not a police officer) would wonder about a phone handed in as evidence having no info on it at all.

I didn't say anyone had.

I'm saying that it can be interpreted as transphobic. That's why I used the words "could be taken as transphobic".

Things that are interpreted as transphobic can be classed as malicious comms.

The OP's case is a malicious comms case.

PPs are saying 'you would remember if you had posted anything controversial'.
I'm saying you might not realise such a statement was controversial.

"I'm saying that it can be interpreted as transphobic"

No. No it can't. That's a tale transphobic people tell themselves (and spread on social media) to feel like they are victims of harassment.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10446037/Disabled-campaigner-womens-rights-arrested-hate-crime.html

This do you? admittedly it was the heinous crime of stickering.

Hahaha. Well, I don’t care if you believe me or not, as long as you’re not pretending to have any knowledge or experience which would help the op.

Sorry, just to be clear: you claim that saying women are female has never been called 'transphobic'?

That it is not possible to interpret 'women are female' or 'female people are women' as transphobic?

You are confident that is true?

I can tell you’re not a police officer, you don’t need to caveat your post with that.

I didn’t hand my phone in, it was seized when my house was searched. The phone I handed in of course was full of info and unfortunately they had the password. They didn’t have the password to any of my other devices though, and they still don’t.

BTW, forensics reports don’t hint at anything, you must be slightly hard of thinking. Forensic reports state facts as far as they can be ascertained. If those reports started trying to interpret or imply, they would get eviscerated under cross examination.

How would you go about finding and appointing an appropriate solicitor for this kind of thing, in case it ever happens to me! Does it have to be a particular type of solicitor or can you take your cousin who does property law or is a KC or whatever?

did your sexual abuse allegations against your cousin end up reported to the police or did you just discuss it within your family unit/with friends/on any sort of social media or texts/emails? it sounds like it possibly be that as your cousin or his family may have reported your allegations as being malicious if it didn't wasnt dealt with by the police. Either way ,thats an important aspect to discuss with your solicitor. good luck.

Google Clare Dimyon, a rape survivor who has an MBE for services to LGBT people and whose NHS trust wrote letters calling her transphobic for asking for a female member of staff to carry out her mammogram.

No to be clear, I said the police never investigated or accused of malicious communication someone for innocently saying, in this context

"If you are female, you might be disadvantaged by this policy"
"Yes, women often are disadvantaged".

Ever. Someone might moan on social media. But no, the police won't consider it a hate crime. Don't be ridiculous.

BTW, forensics reports don’t hint at anything, you must be slightly hard of thinking

Not sure why the personal insult was needed, but at least I know not to bother with any responses to you after this.

She wasn't arrested for saying

"If you are female, you might be disadvantaged by this policy"
"Yes, women often are disadvantaged"

though, was she?

Why did people on here decide OP is being investigated for a case of transphobia - gender offense anyway? They might have gotten angry and sent threats to someone 4 years ago and forgot about it...

I studied the law. That is why I don't give advice on Mumsnet and tell the OP to get a lawyer and not to listen to ANY stupid advice on here....

A local criminal firm is a good start, local to the police force investigating (which might be different to arrest location) because they get to know the weaknesses and weaknesses of the particular force. Either that or take the duty solicitor and go from there.

OK, so when you said "No. No it can't." to my suggestion that "it can be interpreted as transphobic", you were incorrect to say that.

I have never said "The police will consider the specific statement I wrote a hate crime".

Carry on arguing with yourself if you like but if you need to make up what I'm saying it's a bit of a waste of time.

Sure you “studied the law”. 😂😂