Hertfordshire Police Admit Unlawful WhatsApp Arrest with £20k Payout
Hertfordshire Police have admitted that they wrongfully arrested a couple over messages shared in a WhatsApp group, resulting in a payout of £20,000. Rosalind Levine and Maxie Allen, whose arrest had sparked public concern, were held for 11 hours on suspicion of harassment and malicious communications after raising complaints about their daughter’s primary school. The couple described the moment the police accepted liability as “emotional,” highlighting the relief of having the unlawful nature of their detention formally acknowledged.
In January, six officers arrived at the couple’s home and arrested them in front of their three-year-old child. The charges included malicious communications, harassment, and causing a nuisance on school premises. Levine and Allen, however, maintained that they had not acted abusively or threateningly, and that their communications had been typical parental feedback shared in a private WhatsApp group. The school, Cowley Hill Primary in Borehamwood, had reportedly sought police guidance after receiving multiple emails and social media posts from the couple that it said had caused distress among staff, parents, and governors.
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The parents had previously been banned from entering the school after criticizing the leadership and recruitment process of a new headteacher, with Allen having served as a school governor in the past. Despite warnings and restrictions, the couple continued to raise concerns about their daughter’s care, particularly regarding her needs as a disabled child with epilepsy and neurodivergence. A police officer had even advised them in December to withdraw their daughter from the school, which they did the following month, just before the arrests occurred.
Following the arrests, Hertfordshire Constabulary initially defended its actions, stating the detentions were necessary to investigate the allegations. However, after reviewing the case, the force admitted that the legal threshold for an arrest under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 had not been met. A spokesperson confirmed that no misconduct by individual officers was involved, but acknowledged that the arrests were unlawful. The payout of £10,000 to each of the couple reflected a desire by the police to resolve the matter swiftly, exceeding typical compensation in similar cases.
Levine expressed relief that the force had acknowledged the wrongdoing, but also concern that other families might be subjected to similar experiences without their stories being heard. Allen described the ordeal as “Kafkaesque,” noting that the specific communications deemed criminal were never disclosed to them. For the couple, the acknowledgment of liability mattered most, offering a sense of vindication after a deeply distressing experience that impacted both their family and their trust in the police.
This case has prompted wider reflection on how police responses intersect with parental complaints and social media communications, with officials recognizing that the matter should never have escalated to criminal action. Hertfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Jonathan Ash-Edwards, described it as a fundamental breakdown in relationships between the school and parents that should have remained outside the criminal justice system.
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