Home / Crime and Justice / Police Pay £34K Over Cell Night for Blog Post
Police Pay £34K Over Cell Night for Blog Post
20 Apr
Summary
- Police unlawfully arrested and detained an IT director for a blog post.
- The force committed trespass on his property during an illegal search.
- Hertfordshire Police will pay £34,000 in compensation to the director.
Hertfordshire Police will compensate IT director Samuel Smith £34,000 after he was unlawfully arrested and detained for a night. The incident occurred shortly after another case where the force paid £20,000 to a couple. Police officers, numbering a dozen, arrived at Mr. Smith's home, conducted an unlawful search, and wrongfully detained him.
The force has now admitted in the High Court that Mr. Smith was unlawfully arrested and detained, committed no offence, and that officers trespassed on his property. His arrest will be removed from the Police National Computer, with a marker indicating false allegations.
Mr. Smith, 47, writes a blog under the pseudonym Matthew Hopkins. His arrest stemmed from an article he published about a woman falsely accused of being a paedophile, where he referred to two men who had spread false information about her. He was detained at Hatfield police station after officers seized his devices.
Body-worn footage captured the moment Mr. Smith, visibly shaking, answered his door in a dressing gown. Detectives later acknowledged the search was not lawful, and the case was dropped. Hertfordshire Police have settled out of court and issued an apology.
