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An IT consultant was arrested and put through ’13 weeks of hell’ after posing with a gun in a LinkedIn post while on holiday in Florida.
Jon Richelieu-Booth posted three images of himself with firearms while staying on private property with friends in the US.
However when he arrived back in the UK in August, a police officer visited his house to warn him that concerns had been raised about his account.
Officers warned him to ‘be careful’ about his actions online and how it may make others feel.
The 50-year-old said he offered to prove that the pictures had been taken in the US – where owning or shooting guns are perfectly legal. Officers told him it was not necessary.
A week later on August 23, the officers returned and arrested him on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and another allegation of stalking related to a photograph of a house that appeared on his social media.
Mr Richelieu-Booth was held overnight in a cell before being interviewed. He was then released on bail until October.
He claims police visited his home three more times before the charges against him were dropped.
Jon Richelieu-Booth claims the images were taken while on holiday in Florida
In three separate posts, he posted pictured holding various weapons in the United States
Mr Richelieu-Booth said he was arrested for a social media post after returning to the UK
After he was charged, Mr Richelieu-Booth claimed he was unable to work because his phone and computers were seized by police.
The IT contractor described the police response as a ‘massive overreach’. He told The Telegraph: ‘Anybody should be allowed to say anything they wish, as long as it’s not hateful.
‘When did we go from a society where you can have a discussion with somebody and go, “You know what? I don’t like your opinion. I’m going to disagree with you, but I’m not going to tell you why, I’m going to call the police”.
‘When did we get so thin-skinned as a society?’
Mr Richelieu-Booth’s story was shared by billionaire Elon Musk, who was furious at the treatment of the British man.
He wrote: ‘And this is why we have the first and second amendments in America’.
In October, Mr Mr Richelieu-Booth was re-arrested for allegedly breaching his bail conditions. That charge was later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.
He was then charged with a public order offence over a separate social media post. That charge was also later dropped.
Elon Musk shared the story in a post on X, praising the US for its first and second amendment laws
West Yorkshire Police did not confirm which social media post prompted the charge.
He was also due to appear in court on November 25, charged with causing alarm or distress. That charge was also later dropped by the CPS.
Mr Richelieu-Booth is now considering making a formal complaint against West Yorkshire Police after enduring ’13 weeks of hell’.
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: ‘Police received a complaint of stalking involving serious alarm or distress, relating partly to social media posts, several of which included pictures of a male posing with a variety of firearms which the complainant took to be a threat.
‘Police investigated and charged a man with a public order offence but the case was then discontinued by the CPS.’
