A woman was arrested by police in a riot van at dawn after she posted about her ex-boyfriend, a serving Metropolitan Police officer, in a Facebook group warning of men’s ‘red flag behaviour’.
Sarah, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, had been told by a friend about a Facebook post in a local group which warned about the behaviour of men they have dated.
The post reportedly was about her ex-partner and Sarah commented to say that she and him were together for almost five years before he cheated on her and ‘gaslit’ her.
She then wrote her own post in the group on May 6 saying she wanted to warn other women about his behaviour.
Sarah told The Guardian that she found out more information about her ex-boyfriend’s behaviour through the group and subsequently sent him two messages. She called him a ‘pussy’ and blocked his number.
On May 13, Sarah was awoken at 4.45am to police officers at her door in a dawn raid.
She heard a knock on the door and three police officers told her she was being arrested for alleged harassment.
She said: ‘I knew instantly that it was him.’
Sarah posted on Facebook about her ex-partner in a group warning about the ‘red flag behaviour’ of local men
‘They took me in, they took my phone, they took my computer, they put me in the back of a van.’
Sarah was questioned about the messages and her Facebook posts during 12 hours in police custody.
She did not dispute any of the evidence which was put to her by the officers.
She said: ‘I’ve got nothing to hide. I’m not ashamed of what I’ve done. I’m doing it to protect women, and if I can just save one woman going through what I’ve gone through, then I’ve done something.’
She said police asked her if it was true she had called her ex ‘a pussy’. She replied: ‘I was like, yeah, you can’t arrest me for calling someone a pussy, that’s ridiculous.’
She was released without charge. Sarah said her duty solicitor agreed that she would not have been arrested if her ex was not a police officer.
After her release, Sarah was served with civil court papers saying her ex-partner was seeking a non-molestation order.
The court rejected her partner’s application and expressed concern about an ‘abuse of power’ when Sarah was arrested at 4.45am by police officers in a riot van as well as a ‘request for a detective’ to personally serve him.
Sarah spent 12 hours in police custody where she was questioned about her Facebook posts
Court papers said the application related to a single Facebook post and no other allegations had been raised.
Sarah made a formal complaint to police, saying her ex-boyfriend had abused his power.
Nine months later, the complaint was rejected by the Metropolitan Police.
In the investigation, her ex-partner said he reported her behaviour as she had shared the police station which he worked at.
Sarah said the ordeal has left her having panic attacks when she sees police officers in the street.
A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: ‘In May 2024 officers arrested a 39-year-old woman on suspicion of harassment. After an interview under caution, she was released without further action.
‘Subsequently, allegations were made relating to an abuse of power by a serving Met officer. These were formally investigated and found to be unsubstantiated.
‘The action taken in this case was considered to be necessary, proportionate and compliant with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act as officers need to conduct prompt and effective investigations.’
