A COUNCILLOR was threatened with a police investigation if she continued to help parents who were arrested after they complained about a school in a WhatsApp group.
Hertfordshire County Council member Michelle Vince said the case had raised serious questions over the power for the police to “take away democratic rights” from elected representatives.
She had been helping Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine, who had raised concerns over the way the new head teacher at Cowley Hill Primary School had been recruited.
The couple were later detained on suspicion of harassment and malicious communications after what they describe as a “trivial” dispute, reports The Times.
They had sent multiple emails to Cowley Primary School in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire and made “disparaging” comments on a WhatsApp group for parents.
The couple were escorted away from their home in January by six uniformed police before spending a terrifying eight hours trapped in a cell.
Hertfordshire Police conducted a five-week investigation into their actions before deciding there was no case to answer.
Police had, however, warned Vince to not help the family, saying she risked becoming a suspect herself in their investigations.
An email sent to the councillor by a police officer in Hertfordshire said: “I ask that your communication (with the school) ceases from this point onwards as you may find yourself liable to being recorded as a suspect in a harassment investigation.”
Vince had been sending emails to the school on behalf of the parents in regards to issues and complaints over the head teacher's recruitment.
The email added: “I can confirm that the vacancy for the position of head teacher is now an active posting and therefore there is no further reason for any communication from yourself to be had.”
They shockingly claimed the councillor had “no reason” to be involved in the matter.
In fear of facing the same fate as Maxie and Rosalind, Vince has now set up a home security doorbell system to capture video and audio footage of her front door.
She added that she had also now raised the issues with Hertfordshire County Council's legal department.
Shaken, Vince described how the police were, in effect, “taking away” her democratic rights as a councillor.
Speaking of what Maxie and Rosalind went through, she said it was “traumatic” for them, and that she herself is now terrified the same could happen to her.
Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Hertfordshire Police & Crime Commissioner, said this weekend: “There has clearly been a fundamental breakdown in relationships between a school and parents that shouldn’t have become a police matter.
“I will look at what more can be done with mediation services in Hertfordshire to help amicably resolve disputes without police involvement.
“While people should be courteous and go through the proper channels when raising concerns about a public service, the public should be able to express their views without worrying they’ll get a knock at the door from the police.”
Footage has shown how Maxie and Rosalind were escorted away from their Borehamwood home in front of their crying daughter before spending eight hours trapped in a cell.
Times Radio producer Maxie, 50, said the action was “dystopian” and a “massive overreach”.
He accused Cowley Hill of trying to “silence awkward parents”, saying: “I was just in complete disbelief. It was just unfathomable to me that things had escalated to this degree.
“It was absolutely nightmarish. I couldn’t believe this was happening, that a public authority could use the police to close down a legitimate inquiry.
“We'd never used abusive or threatening language, even in private, and always followed due process. Yet we have never even been told what these communications were that were supposedly criminal, which is completely Kafkaesque.”
Maxie and Rosalind, 46, were also accused of causing a nuisance on school property.
However, they maintain they haven't been to school since last July – and the allegations have never been explained.
Former governor Maxie had questioned why an open recruitment process hadn't begun after the school's headteacher announced he was retiring in May last year.
He had hoped a meeting would be held to explain the process.
Harassment and malicious communication laws
According to the Malicious Communications Act 1988 an offence consists of:
- A message that is indecent or grossly offensive
- A threat
- Information that is false and is known or believed to be false by the sender
- This also includes any article or electronic communication that is of an indecent or grossly offensive nature.
The above only applies if the sender's purpose was to cause distress.
Chair of governors Jackie Spriggs then reportedly told parents “inflammatory and defamatory” comments had been made on social media.
She also warned action would be taken against anyone causing “disharmony”.
Maxie and Rosalind were subsequently banned from the school's premises after being accused of “casting aspersions” on Ms Spriggs.
The couple claim they were then barred from attending a parents' evening for nine-year-old daughter Sascha, and were not allowed to go to her Christmas performance.
The schoolgirl has epilepsy, as well as being neurodivergent and registered disabled.
Maxie and Rosalind say they sent emails to the school to address their daughter's needs.
On January 29, Rosalind was looking after youngest daughter Francesa, three, when half a dozen officers arrived at the door.
She said she feared “Sascha was dead” and said her toddler was “cowering in the corner, she was terrified”.
Maxie added he believes the school used the cops “to close down legitimate inquiries” but doesn't understand why the force “played along”.
The school says it sought advice from the police following a “high volume” of correspondence, including social media posts, which had upset staff and parents.
A spokesman added: “We're always happy for parents to raise concerns, but we do ask that they do this in a suitable way, and in line with the school's published complaints procedure.”
Hertfordshire County Council said Louise Thomas was appointed interim head of the school for one term before a full recruitment process was carried out.
The force said the officers dispatched to the address were needed to secure electronic devices and care for the children there.
A spokesman said: “The arrests were necessary to fully investigate the allegations as is routine in these types of matters.
“Following further investigations, officers deemed that no further action should be taken due to insufficient evidence.”
Flying Eze has approached the police, school and council for further comment.
