Carolyn Farrow taken to police station

[ScreamingMeMe]

Long twitter thread here. She's had her electronic devices seized too, and has been accused of being certain posters on Kiwi Farms and Mumsnet

@BernardBlacksWineIceLolly and @BreakWindandFire sorry to tag you but she's been accused of being you!

We all know who this will be, but as Caroline says, please don't speculate/discuss them.

twitter.com/CF_Farrow/status/1577092705154666496?t=Cv7tRv3YdqIogpXT_MSwZQ&s=19

@stillvicarinatutu

When I was arrested over something similar that I hadn't done they arrested me for 'Computer misuse'. That's up to 10 years and an unlimited fine.

On the face of it sounds utterly insane.

That's a stock answer and actually - the truth .
An allegation was made
Police are investigating. That's their job . Woman released under investigation - so analysis can be made as to whether any crime was committed - or not . If not - investigation will be closed no further action.

But there appears to be some
Back story to this ? Is someone alleging criminal offences groundlessly?

My questions then

Are the police being used to spuriously investigate allegations that have no foundation?

If they are - this
Happens all the time . In all crimes .
Issue is if someone alleges something police are duty bound to investigate- it never means the allegation is true .

This happens a lot in custody cases - one parent uses spurious allegations to curry favour in court even if it's untrue .

The only thing to take heart from is if the allegations are unfounded it will come to light in the ensuing investigation.

This is nothing new . Police are used all the time . But they can't be judge and jury - if an allegation is made they are duty bound to investigate it - often the allegation is unproven .

If this is a case of one individual using police
Repeatedly for malicious intent then they themselves could be subject to a
Complaint of harassment......just so you know .....putting it out there ....

There is recourse . I can advise further if necessary. Pm .

It's not paranoia thank you very much, how patronising! You weren't there. They were clearly looking at me.

I was the only person on the street and after passing the first time they circled round the street I was on four more times. There's a whole town to patrol. The last two times they went by me, like I said, they slowed down a lot, the last pass was practically a crawl.

I actually turned around and bent down to look back in through the window so they could get a good look at me and I think subconciously so they knew I was trying to get a good look at them.

I'm sure they have no interest in me or my dog We are very uninteresting, that's kind of the point. Even if they thought I was dodgy looking, why didn't they stop?

Any police with half a brain must know that passing a woman alone at night five times at decreasing speed without saying anything in this climate (SE etc) is going to make them uncomfortable?

Hat

The police are going to "look" at anyone out and about at a daft hour - it doesn't mean they automatically think your a criminal ! The job is to look for unusual activity. If your car
Was nicked or broken into or your house I'm pretty sure you'd be glad they were "looking "

I try to engage with the fwr threads . But sometimes- posts are just plain daft .

I didn't say that did I?

I said in this case - arresting a woman, barging into her house and confiscating all devices from all family members because someone said she'd said something online, that is easily provable to have been posted by someone else - the case of arresting a woman for the right kind of wrong think affects all women.

They didn't stop because you were of no significance. If yku felt so threatened you should have waved them down .
I'm sure they'd have told you why they were there . Public engagement is part
Of the job .

There is this perception that the police are inhuman . They aren't . They will stop and talk to anyone who wants to talk . And those who don't want to - that's the job .
Just because they wear uniform and are i ln a car doesn't mean you're being watched ! They are just people- trying to do a
Job . To keep people safe - the subject here is "wrong think" isn't it ?
And I'm against thy but police are duty bound to investigate all allegations- spurious or not .
That is not to say I agree with this culture of arresting people for tweets . I find it frankly ridiculous. I'd a rather be out patrolling and looking for criminals .
Of which you clearly aren't one else they'd have stopped .

Listen, I have no issue with them getting a good look at me, I understand they are checking people who are out at odd times to ensure a variety of different things: Criminal? Drunk? Druggy? Potential Victim? Others I'm sure I can't think of off the top of my head.

What I'm saying is that I wasn't doing anything unusual or of note, was sober so not wobbling around, not wearing clothing that made me look like I was trying to hide or whatever.

I take the dog to the grassy area at the end of my street, it takes me literally less than 3mins to walk to the grassy bit so passing me 5 times in the time it took me to get up there is a bit much I think. One or two passes to check me out would have been sufficient.

It doesn't take long to make a circle of the street I was on, but there was a lot of other streets they were passing by to keep coming up this one street I was on.
They slowed riiiiiight down for the last two pass bys, the last one was practically a crawl, that's a bit unusual right? Or are you telling me that's standard procedure?

I've never been made to feel uncomfortable by the police before, I've never felt the need to be uncomfortable around them since I'm a law abiding and boring middle aged wifey in a quiet town with low crime rates and grew up being told that if you didn't break the law you would be safe from police attention.

In the wake of Sarah Everard and other shit being leaked about the sheer amount of systematic misogyny in the police, I found those drive bys to be a little disturbing... but according to you I'm wrong or paranoid.

Well ok then, you know best I'm sure. I'm clearly just a hysterical woman

Yes if they were actually patrolling the area I would have felt reassured. Instead I felt under scrutiny and very uncomfortable for the reasons I have outlined.

Can you not see my point of view instead of making out that I am somehow ridiculous and anti police? I don't think I'm either here.

There's no need to get defensive.

I'm understand that it can be disconcerting.

But the Wayne cousins of this world are thankfully very very rare . Most police are double crewed at night . For good reason. Because the danger to them is higher at night .

I'm sorry you felt uncomfortable but if you had been of interest to them they would have stopped and talked to you .

Police can't stop patrolling at night in case it makes a lone woman feel a bit funny - hope you understand that .

Police are way more likely to be assaulted than you .

I'm 50 and a woman and have been attacked more times than I shake a stick at - for the uniform I wear . I was shot at 3 years ago. I've been bitten . Nipped . Spat at .

As a woman I find this difficult- im old enough to be some of the suspects grandmother now . It's a job . It's what I signed up to do . It's hard . I try my best .
That's all I can say .

You've called me paranoid and been quite insensitive so frankly I think there is need to be a little defensive.

I actually think you might be on the wind up.

The "the WC of this world are rare" is the police equivalent of NAMALT, how the hell am I supposed to know which ones are the decent ones? I know most are, but how do I pick out the ones that aren't decent?

You are ridiculing what I am saying by asking if I understand that police can't stop patrolling at night in case it makes a lone woman feel "a bit funny"

Did I say that police patrolling makes me uncomfortable? No.

I said that their repeated scrutiny and behaviour in such a short space of time was so unusual that that made me uncomfortable.

And you aren't that much older than me @stillvicarinatutu but I don't know what age has to do with anything here.

For goodness sakes this is why we have this issue

I'm not ridiculing you in any way shape or form .

You can demonise the uniform all you like .
That's your prerogative.

I was just trying to give some factual information about why police patrol at night . WC is a one off - name me another in the last 50 years?
Most of us sign up to do good . I give my time and expertise for absolutely nothing on this site . I expect nothing in return. Search my name if you disbelieve that . I am here asking what this woman was arrested for to see if I can offer any insight or help . Not to argue about why police patrol at night .

Well maybe you're old enough to know better? I've never felt threatened when walking my dog round the farmers fields at 3am and I'd feel reassured seeing a police patrol cruise by - but police are damned either way . Not seen enough or seen too much it appears!

You are misrepresenting what I am saying though aren't you. I don't have a problem with the police, I don't have a problem with patrols.

I have a problem with the systematic misogyny and overreach being displayed by the police, you telling me that is a figment of my and others on this threads imagination?

I have a problem when the police in this climate do what they did to me and don't stop and speak to me the person they were clearly inspecting quite closely. It's just odd behaviour.

You haven't said if 5 drive bys, the last two of which are remarkably slower, the last being a crawl, is procedure?

If you are a policewoman I hope you treat any complaints about your fellow members of the force with a bit more understanding and can put yourself in the other persons shoes a bit better.

You don't have to agree with me but reducing my experience to "you don't want police to patrol at night because it makes you feel a bit funny" is frankly ridiculous and offensive in both spirit and wording. Watch you don't find yourself arrested by the Surrey Police I guess.

And so would I... but that is not what happened to me for goodness sake, you seem to be deliberately misunderstanding me and now taking my experience completely out of context.

You don't know me on here do you- that's fine .

Not arguing. Have enough of that at work . But I do a lot here . For nothing.

Just patronising, belittling and offensive all in all stillvicar

Good, I'm sincerely glad you do!

Still find your replies to me all of the above ^

I cannot understand what is going on with the British police and how this has been allowed to happen. The pursuit of wrong think by the police seems to be a problem that is unique to the UK at the moment. Things may be a mess here in Canada, but we do not have police making arrests over Twitter spats. Meghan Murphy said in the past that the police were nothing but supportive when she had people reporting her for similar.

An interesting opinion piece from Canada last week about this very topic: https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/furey-u-k-police-act-as-online-enforcers-for-trans-activism-could-same-happen-in-canada/wcm/921acabb-b13a-4969-a692-2dfaff705346/amp/

Twitter link
twitter.com/AdrianYalland/status/1577441968497561606

If you don't have twitter this is Adrian Yalland, he represented CF pro bono during some earlier harassment, he, his wife and children were then targeted by the same person who targeted CF. He has been compensated by the met.

First tweet in thread

It is less than a week since the Met Police settled my claim against them for its failings in the way they dealt with the attempts of a notorious transrights activist to have me arrested, and less than 24 hrs since the same activist had at CF arrested by SurreyPolice