Bernadette Spofforth, a 55-year-old woman from Chester, has shared the difficult details of her arrest with GB News after she was arrested for allegedly spreading misinformation about the Southport stabbing suspect.
She had shared a post containing an incorrect name of the suspect, adding that there would be "hell to pay" if the information proved accurate, but soon realised that it was incorrect and deleted the post in a matter of hours.
Spofforth claims she was held by police for 36 hours before being bailed on August 10.
She insists she had simply copied "a name and a sentence" from another post without verifying the source.
Bernadette Spofforth, recounted her experience to GB News
GB News
In an exclusive interview with Bev Turner on GB News, Spofforth recounted her experience: "The doorbell rang, and it was five police people, five of them, and I knew that they were coming to arrest me".
She recounted feeling mentally overwhelmed during the arrest, saying: "I just mentally completely collapsed. Nothing worked. I could barely speak.
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"I was freezing cold. I couldn't even see straight, and there was a few women that took me upstairs to search me."
Bernadette was subsequently arrested and she claimed that she was held by police for 36 hours before being bailed, she slept on the floor causing intense pain in her hips.
GB News host Bev Turner later asked: "Correct me if I'm wrong, Bernie, but were you arrested for incitement to racial hatred, basically because you questioned government policy on illegal migration?"
She responded: "I hadn't questioned the government on illegal migration. I'd said, if this is true, there will be hell to pay, right? Because it's following on from so many attacks."
Bernadette said that she "mentally collapsed"
GB News
Speaking about the effect that it had on her, she added: "I'm a really strong person. I've been in business for a long time, but I came through the door at 4am in the morning and collapsed completely.
"I couldn't go to bed because I was terrified that they would come back."
Bernadette also faced intense press intrusion after the trauma, and said that people were waiting outside her home to take photographs of her.
She explained: "One very large organisation has been in my garden looking through my windows on two separate occasions, just making themselves at home with a cameraman. I couldn't leave the house. I couldn't do anything. I really was a very broken individual."
Bernadette Spofforth has since been released
GB News
Cheshire Police confirmed that a 55-year-old woman from near Chester would face no further action. A spokesperson stated: "A woman who was arrested in relation to an inaccurate social media post has been released without charge.
"The 55-year-old woman from near Chester was arrested on Thursday August 8 following allegations in relation to a social media post containing inaccurate information about the identity of the attacker in the Southport murders.
"Following a thorough investigation, a decision has been made that no further action will be taken due to insufficient evidence."
In her statement, Spofforth issued a six-word warning to those who "celebrated my arrest", saying "it could easily happen to you".