Police drop probe into journalist Allison Pearson over 'racial hatred' social media post
Essex Police has dropped its investigation into journalist Allison Pearson over an alleged hate-related social media post from last year
GETTY
Essex Police has dropped its investigation into journalist Allison Pearson over an alleged hate-related social media post from last year.
Pearson had been under investigation for allegedly stirring up racial hatred through a post made on X.
The decision to end the inquiry comes amid mounting criticism of the police investigation.
Officers visited Pearson's home as part of their investigation but declined to provide specific details about the social media post in question.
Officers showed up at Pearson’s home on Remembrance Sunday to invite her for a voluntary interviewGETTYDuring the visit, police would not disclose which post on X was under investigation or reveal who had made the complaint against her.
A dispute emerged over the nature of the investigation, with Pearson initially believing it was being treated as a non-crime hate incident.
Essex Police strongly rejected this characterisation, stating it was "wholly inaccurate".
The force insisted that its response was what "the public would expect" and claimed their body-worn video footage "entirely supports our position".
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the inquiry, describing it as an "appalling" attack on free speech.
The Crown Prosecution Service advised that no charges should be brought against Pearson after reviewing the case.
Pearson told GB News: "I am hugely relieved that Essex Police have come to their senses. It’s scary and upsetting for a law-abiding decent person to face an accusation of stirring up racial hatred.
"What my case has revealed is the appalling over-use of Non-Crime Hate Incidents to silence opinions that everyone down the pub would think were completely normal.
"Free speech is a precious part of the British identity. I hope we can now agree the police should spend time catching criminals not believing complaints from random people that they’ve been offended!"
Chief Constable Mark Hobrough, the National Police Chiefs’ Council hate crime lead, will conduct an independent review of the force’s handling of the case.
Pearson had been under investigation for allegedly stirring up racial hatred through a post made on X
GB NewsAn Essex Police spokesman said: “We investigate crimes reported to us without fear or favour.
"We’re sometimes faced with allegations of crime where people have strong opposing views.
"That’s why we work so hard to remain impartial and to investigate allegations, regardless of where they might lead.”
On Tuesday, it was revealed that Essex Police has recorded over 1,500 non-crime incidents in the span of two years, though failed to answer non-emergency calls in a “swift” manner during the same period.
In data obtained by Freedom of Information (FOI) requests from The Times, the force logged 702 non-crime hate incidents between June 2023 and June 2024, and 834 the year prior.
In a separate police watchdog inspection, it was discovered that the force fails to “promptly resolve non-emergency calls”.
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