Hertfordshire Police Admit Unlawful Arrest, Pay £20,000 Damages

Hertfordshire Constabulary has admitted that the arrest of a Borehamwood couple for criticizing their daughter's primary school on a WhatsApp group was unlawful, agreeing to pay them £20,000 in damages nearly a year after the incident.

Maxie Allen, 50, a Times Radio producer, and his partner Rosalind Levine, 47, a TV producer, were detained in January at their home in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, by six uniformed officers. The parents, whose nine-year-old daughter Sascha attends Cowley Hill Primary School, were held for about 11 hours on suspicion of harassment, sending malicious communications and causing a nuisance on school property. Their electronic devices were seized, and the couple was questioned at a police station. Officers arrived while Levine was caring for the couple's three-year-old daughter, who witnessed the arrest. No charges were filed, and after a five-week investigation, police took no further action.

The dispute began in May of the previous year when Allen, a former school governor, questioned the recruitment process for a new headteacher following the announcement of the incumbent's retirement. He sought a meeting to discuss an open process but received no...