UK Parents Arrested Over School WhatsApp Group Complaints in ‘Massive Overreach’ by Police

[Social Media]

 

A couple in Borehamwood were arrested in front of their young daughter and detained for hours after questioning the recruitment process for a new head teacher at their child’s primary school. Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine were taken into custody by Hertfordshire Police after the school objected to their emails and criticisms shared in a parents’ WhatsApp group.

 

 

Allen, a producer at Times Radio, had raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the appointment of a new head teacher at Cowley Hill Primary School. However, instead of receiving answers, he and his partner were confronted by six uniformed officers. The couple was arrested, fingerprinted, searched, and held in cells for eight hours under suspicion of harassment, malicious communications, and causing a nuisance on school property. Following a five-week investigation, police determined that no further action would be taken.

 

The couple had already been banned from school grounds for questioning the appointment process and making what were described as “disparaging” comments on WhatsApp. As a result, they were not allowed to attend parents’ evening or their daughter Sascha’s Christmas performance. This exclusion was especially concerning given that Sascha, nine, has epilepsy, is neurodivergent, and is registered disabled. The arrest meant Allen and Levine were unable to discuss their child’s medical needs with teachers.

 

 

Allen described the ordeal as a “massive overreach” by the police and accused the school of using law enforcement to “silence awkward parents.” He said, “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.”

 

Levine, 46, was at home with their three-year-old daughter Francesca when six officers arrived at their house on January 29. “I saw six police officers standing there. There were two cars and a police van. My first thought was that Sascha was dead. I could not think of any other reason why six police officers would be at my door. My heart was thumping, thinking something terrible had happened. So when I was placed under arrest, in a weird way I was briefly relieved. And then I started to think, ‘What on earth? What the hell is going on?’ Francesca was cowering in the corner, she was terrified.”

 

Allen, 50, was in a Zoom meeting when police officers walked into view on his screen. “I was just in complete disbelief,” he said. “It was just unfathomable to me that things had escalated to this degree.”

 

As police searched the house, Levine called her 80-year-old mother to come and look after the children. She asked officers not to handcuff her in front of her toddler. “There was a female officer—she agreed not to use cuffs but said she’d be staying right beside me in case. Then I’m chucked in a cell all day long.”

 

The couple spent 11 hours at Stevenage Police Station before being released close to midnight. They were left trying to understand how a dispute over a school hiring process had escalated into a full-blown criminal investigation.

 

In May 2024, Allen had written to the school governors asking why, six months after the head teacher announced his retirement, an open recruitment process had not been launched. Having previously served as a school governor himself, he expected a meeting to discuss the matter, but his questions were dismissed. A month later, the chair of governors, Jackie Spriggs, sent a letter to parents warning that “inflammatory and defamatory” comments on social media would not be tolerated and that action would be taken against anyone causing “disharmony.” It remains unclear if the warning was directed specifically at Allen and Levine.

 

The controversy deepened when police reportedly warned Michelle Vince, a Hertfordshire county councillor, that she could become a suspect if she continued to support the parents. Vince argued that the case raised serious concerns about police interference in democratic rights, saying, “This is about taking away the ability of elected representatives to help their constituents.”

 

 

Oliver Dowden, Conservative MP for Hertsmere, expressed alarm over the police response. “I have constituents getting in contact with me saying that their house has been burgled and the police have not turned up, or they have watched shoplifters come in and take things off the shelf, and police will not come. Now it appears Hertfordshire police were able to send six officers for parents’ comments on a WhatsApp group and emails to the school. This is seriously undermining confidence in police and I intend to raise this with the chief constable and in Parliament. This is about policing priorities. The police will lose the confidence of the public if they are not policing the priorities of the public.”

 

Based on a report by The Times  2025-03-31

 

 

[Bday Prang]

What a disgrace,somebody should be sacked

[Denim]

Good grief . It takes 6 rozzers to arrest two parents expressing their opinion. 

 

Can't or won't catch criminals but need to be seen to be doing something.   Surprised they didn't send a fully armed SWAT team and have a helicopter hovering overhead.

[JonnyF]

Starmer's stasi strikes again.

 

Shameful the depths the UK has sunk to. 

 

Police descending on your house for wrongthink. That reminds me, must renew my membership of the Free Speech Union. 

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Starmer's stasi strikes again.

 

Shameful the depths the UK has sunk to. 

 

Police descending on your house for wrongthink. That reminds me, must renew my membership of the Free Speech Union. 

Anyone seen the movie Brazil? It's getting to be like that in the UK. Providing they have elections in 4 years time, when Starmer is defeated I hope the new government sacks any police head that colluded in such atrocities and that the police minister spends time in jail along with Starmer himself.

[4MyEgo]

5 hours ago, Social Media said:

Allen, a producer at Times Radio, had raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the appointment of a new head teacher at Cowley Hill Primary School. However, instead of receiving answers, he and his partner were confronted by six uniformed officers. The couple was arrested, fingerprinted, searched, and held in cells for eight hours under suspicion of harassment, malicious communications, and causing a nuisance on school property. Following a five-week investigation, police determined that no further action would be taken.

 

A) There are appropriate channels to go through if you want answers.

 

B) If the parents didn't like how things were being run at the school or the schools responses, they could have taken the kid out and put her into another school.

 

C) Lawyer up.

 

These days you can't go head on, otherwise they will use whatever means available to them, let's not forget they banned from the school for causing a nuisance on school property, then carried on, the Principal sounds like a real nutter, but obviously knows law, hence the reason I suggested what I suggested in A), B) & C) above.

 

Overreach on the parents side if you ask me, especially when it's a public school.

[mikeymike100]

Six coppers were sent, so this must have been ordered at Inspector level or above!

After a five-week investigation, Hertfordshire Police concluded there was insufficient evidence, and no charges were filed. So they sue the police for false arrest and probably assault and false imprisonment!

Under UK law, specifically the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), police must have reasonable suspicion to arrest without a warrant.

No threats, physical altercations, or immediate danger were reported—just criticisms that upset school staff!

 

This once again is the government showing their true colors! No pun intended!

[Thingamabob]

Marxists taking over. We Brits now have to be very careful what we say. even in fun. Laughter and joking in pubs is becoming a crime. God help us. 

[pacovl46]

What made you think that you have a say in who they hire?! 
 

Obviously this could’ve been handled in a much better way, but so many people these days make things their business that isn’t! 
 

Just for the same reason you do not get to decide who, your dentist, barber, grocer, doctor etc. hires, you do not have a say when it comes to school staff. 
 

The fact alone that they were already banned from the school grounds before this happened tells me that they are the problem! 

[WDSmart]

Wow! I thought things like this were mainly happening in the USA, not the UK... 😞

 

[BritManToo]

Is the new head Muslim by any chance?

[Patong2021]

Anyone read what was in the chat?

The police stated that there were reports of harassment and malicious communications, which are criminal offences, and that the police were legally obliged to investigate.

If this was simply  an issue of a difference in opinion, then yes  it was an egregious use of force and wrong. However, there are usually some significant details left out in these reports.

 

I  expect that the police were conned by the school administration and its supporters  into taking action. The school would have had to express a concern and to support the  allegation of harassment and malicious communication.

 

If anyone has ever served on a local school council, or a local Church or social organization, they will appreciate how political it can be. Some participants will not accept criticism and adopt a scorched earth response. Look at the political venom  spat out on this forum. Now  consider when people like that are at a school or on a Church board. They make life horrible for everyone.

[Patong2021]

9 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Is the new head Muslim by any chance?

Doubtful.

Senior Leadership Team:  Headteacher- Louise Thomas

She was the Assistant head teacher before she was promoted. That is usually what happens if the person is qualified.

 

The 76 member county council is overhwhelmingly white, Conservative party and presumably Christian. There are a handul of Liberal Democrats. No Labour members that I know of. The council is responsible for the school.

I smell a political  motive.

County election is May 1.

The  implicated  councillor who is implicated, is the only  "independent" councillor.

 

There is a lot more to this story than is provided.

 

 

[JonnyF]

59 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Is the new head Muslim by any chance?

 

More likely a loony hand wringing Liberal leftist wanting to silence any criticism with a steel boot on the throat.

[Davedub]

How on earth are people supposed to 'respect authority' with the boys in blue pulling stunts like this?

 

When did handcuffing become standard practice for arresting people for non-violent crimes? Has somebody been watching too many American cop shows on Netflix? It'd be laughable if this act of bullying were not so disrespectful, pointless and utterly disgraceful.

 

Yet more tax payer's money wasted on yet another blow to public confidence in the police.

 

Who will protect the people from the protectors? Police over-reach like this constitutes an abuse of power, pure and simple. I sincerely hope whomever made the decision to make these arrests has their career cut abruptly short, are made to explain themselves in court, are forced to make a public apology and are personally sued for every single penny they have to their name. At a minimum.

[Oliver Holzerfilled]

Got them on the "Picking quarrels and provoking trouble" charge.   

寻衅滋事罪🇨🇳

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picking_quarrels_and_provoking_trouble

[DonniePeverley]

I've seen up close how UK councils work ... gravy train galore there if you work your way up, you are quids in. The way contracts are handed out are a joke.

 

In saying that i've also seen parents like these .... there is most likely more to the story than the sensationalist headline. 

[Red Forever]

14 hours ago, JonnyF said:

 

More likely a loony hand wringing Liberal leftist wanting to silence any criticism with a steel boot on the throat.

Jeez Eraser Jonny, your hyperbole is off the scale today. Calm down dear.

[JAG]

On 3/31/2025 at 7:48 AM, Denim said:

Good grief . It takes 6 rozzers to arrest two parents expressing their opinion. 

 

Can't or won't catch criminals but need to be seen to be doing something.   Surprised they didn't send a fully armed SWAT team and have a helicopter hovering overhead.

Budget constraints my dear chap.

 

Burglars, shoplifters and thievery will always be with us, but these sort of people, who question the actions of their establishment betters, must be stamped on and hard!

 

Scruffy bugger mincing around with his hands in his pockets wasn't he?

[JonnyF]

33 minutes ago, Red Forever said:

Jeez Eraser Jonny, your hyperbole is off the scale today. Calm down dear.

 

Didn't mean to offend you. 

 

Still, if the shoe fits...

[gargamon]

15 hours ago, JonnyF said:

 

More likely a loony hand wringing Liberal leftist wanting to silence any criticism with a steel boot on the throat.

Why do all the right wing idiots try and accuse the left of doing everything they're doing?

[SAFETY FIRST]

Is that government housing?

 

I used to have a girlfriend lived housing commission, Mt Druitt. 

She was fun. 

 

I like the housos. 

 

[JonnyF]

1 minute ago, gargamon said:

Why do all the right wing idiots try and accuse the left of doing everything they're doing?

 

Which Western right wing governments are sending squads of thought police to arrest people for Wrongthink/Wrongspeak made during private communications?

[JonnyF]

13 hours ago, Davedub said:

How on earth are people supposed to 'respect authority' with the boys in blue pulling stunts like this?

 

When did handcuffing become standard practice for arresting people for non-violent crimes? Has somebody been watching too many American cop shows on Netflix? It'd be laughable if this act of bullying were not so disrespectful, pointless and utterly disgraceful.

 

Yet more tax payer's money wasted on yet another blow to public confidence in the police.

 

Who will protect the people from the protectors? Police over-reach like this constitutes an abuse of power, pure and simple. I sincerely hope whomever made the decision to make these arrests has their career cut abruptly short, are made to explain themselves in court, are forced to make a public apology and are personally sued for every single penny they have to their name. At a minimum.

 

They really picked on the wrong people this time.

 

Maxie Allen is an ex school governor and now a broadcast journalist and radio producer. A very intelligent and eloquent man. He's been very calm and very impressive on the multiple interviews he has done to highlight the descent of Britain into a police state. 

 

They really need to select their victims of intimidation into silence more carefully. 

[josephbloggs]

6 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Which Western right wing governments are sending squads of thought police to arrest people for Wrongthink/Wrongspeak made during private communications?

Ah, so Mr Hyperbole has read the conversations and knows that this public WhatsApp group was, in fact, private.

So what did they say and who was in the group? And why were this couple already banned from school grounds?

You seem to have insider knowledge so please share.

[gargamon]

10 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Which Western right wing governments are sending squads of thought police to arrest people for Wrongthink/Wrongspeak made during private communications?

United States, deporting people without due process which is guaranteed by the constitution applies I believe. Even the Nazis got a hearing before they were deported after WW II.

[JonnyF]

Just now, gargamon said:

United States, deporting people without due process which is guaranteed by the constitution applies I believe.

 

You seem to be confusing two different issues. 

 

There's a thread about that if you'd like to vent your anger at Trump though. 

[frank83628]

6 officiers sent to arrest 2 parents over a WhatsApp messages, but they're too busy when its house burglary, tool theft & shop lifting 

[mrfill]

Funny how all these confected cases come from employees of the loony right publications. There was that woman from the Telegraph who invented a story which was proved to be nonsense and now this completely one sided version of events.

[JonnyF]

2 minutes ago, mrfill said:

Funny how all these confected cases come from employees of the loony right publications. There was that woman from the Telegraph who invented a story which was proved to be nonsense and now this completely one sided version of events.

 

Nonsense?

 

I guess that's why they dropped all the charges against her?

 

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/nov/21/essex-police-drop-allison-pearson-case-after-cps-advice