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 ?

I did, for three years. Then I gave up. I am not a lawyer. But I studied the law, yes.

*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?*

I can only repeat myself!
I was responding to people saying 'you would remember saying something controversial'.
I am saying it's possible she would not KNOW something was controversial, in order to remember it, and used this as an example of such a statement.

I feel it's gone off on a bit of a tangent. TBH it's probably either mistaken identity, or someone deciding to take the hump at a subtweet or spat or something.

"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"

A controversial thing to the police. A controversial thing to the POLICE.

No, honey, the police won't investigate someone posting ""If you are female, you might be disadvantaged by this policy"
"Yes, women often are disadvantaged". They just won't. They won't try to build a case of malicious communication over that.

Isn’t it the most popular degree? I also have a law degree, it’s not unusual (or particularly difficult tbh).

Spend much time as a duty solicitor did you? Give a lot of advice on mal comms? Where did you get the KSE that allows you to dismiss other people’s actual experience? Glad you don’t practise, your lack of empathy wouldn’t get you many billable hours.

That isn’t going to be a defence. If you think you might have posted something that was truly offensive or were in the habit of doing that, surely you remember? I would remember being openly offensive, I think most people would.

if you wouldn’t have done something like that, you might be a witness to someone else committing that offence.

I am sorry my advice to "ask a lawyer and only a lawyer, not people on Mumsnet" hurt your feelings so much. But I will die on that mountain. Anyone needs to know not to listen to stupid advice on the internet and always take proper legal advice.

I thought the same at first but on further reflection, there's stuff that if someone wanted to be malicious and so took it out of context, could warrant police action.

For example, I posted to someone that I was going to come and burn her house down. Sounds awful and would warrant police interest right? But she's my oldest friend, lives in Australia and had just sent me a photo of a spider the size of a dinner plate in her bedroom. Things out of context can look really bad.

‘Take a solicitor, no comment. A caution is an admission of guilt so don’t take one.’

Good advice.

Do you, or do you not agree, that equating female to women, or women to female, has been called transphobic?

Regardless of what the police do or don't do, I am correct to say that, yes?

Anyone suggesting deleting phone messaging immediately is suspect. Anyone innocent wouldnt do that. I’m not a lawyer but was a legal secretary for years.

Legally? To the police? No, equating female to woman in a sentence, in that context does not equate transphobia and can, thus, not be considered as transphobia by the police or investigated as malicious communication. Never has been. Unless you can show me an example (of exactly that, not an example that has nothing to do with it)

Can we stop detailing the thread with the trans debate …. There’s nothing to indicate the OP is GC or has made any GC remarks. There’s nothing to say this is about social media at all.

Not everything in life needs to be trans related.

@justbeenaccused

I'm in the US so it may not be applicable, but if someone here is referred to as a 'person of interest' it usually isn't because they're simply an innocent bystander who witnessed a crime. It's either because you are a direct suspect, indirect suspect (ie an accomplice), or someone who knows or has been told something that they should then have told the police.

BUT, in your case, since you've recently accused a family member of sexual abuse and the family has threatened retaliation, isn't it likely that the 'malicious communication' has to do with your accusation? Did the assault happen years ago and perhaps you texted/emailed the perpetrator or other family members back then with the accusation?

At any rate, advice here (again US) is that even if you are as innocent as the Angel May NEVER speak to the police without a lawyer present no matter why they've asked to speak to you. Granted, police/citizen relationships in the US at this time are not 'the best', especially if you are a POC. I'm not sure if it's that way in the UK.

Good luck and see a solicitor BEFORE the interview.

Terrible advice!

Go to the interview, ask for legal representation (which they should have offered you anyway), see what it's about then give your side alongside the advice of the duty solicitor.

I'm also sure the OP has a vague idea of what this is about

Your wording is interesting: “I accused my cousin of sexual abuse”. Did your cousin sexually abuse you? If so I would expect someone to say “I reported my cousin for sexually abusing me.” There’s quite a difference between those statements. Did you report your cousin to the police? Or did you just accuse them in front of family/friends? There’s a chance that the malicious content the police are investigating is you accusing your cousin of abuse. Is your cousin accusing you of making the abuse up maybe?

🙄

Can you stop with the constant personal attacks on this thread? We are grown ass people, we can do better than that.

It doesn't matter what your first post said, the rest of the advice was shite

Absolutely any seemingly mild post can be a hate incident. I can say, and have said, bloody neighbours alarm is driving me bonkers, it's been going for hours now. My neighbours could well take offence to that and get me arrested on a hate crime incident.
Wether it went to court, unlikely, however if I'm stupid, admit I posted it and I meant it, I can have a warning against my name.
Bit of a hindrance if you need a DBS for a role.

You are getting conflicting advice on here and there is a lot of jumping to conclusions about what it is for when in reality you don't know. You have a lawyer so speak to them and they will advise you what to do. You know the lawyer is trained and experienced in these matters where as you cannot determine which posters are so get real life advice. You can request legal advice during interview or before. Use it.

No they couldn't. I promise you the police won't investigate that or even crazier, arrest you, for writing that, unless it is in the context of a campaign of harassment.

That is just some BS people spread on social. media and take for reality.

If the police contacts you, they have more than that. For sure.

@HarrietStyles

You’re right. Well spotted. I read it that the OP had reported the cousin but she might have simply made an accusation. I’m not quite sure why it has reared its head now though but I fear it might be messy with some fall out for the family as well as the OP

Do not go without legal representation.
Do not admit or offer any information.
Only say 'No Comment'.
The onus is not on you to prove your innocence but on them to prove your guilt. Don't say anything. Don't give them anything.

This is the best advice.
Lawyer up. No comment. Don't sign anything. Don't nod, don't appear as though you agree to anything at all.

Voluntary interviews don't always mean that. Sometimes it's a way of getting you to turn up so they can arrest you. Happened to someone I know, he turned up to a voluntary interview and was arrested immediately and never went home, ended up on remand for 8 months awaiting trial.