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Couple awarded £20,000 after unlawful arrest over school criticism
Hertfordshire Police have paid £20,000 in damages to a couple wrongfully arrested for 11 hours on suspicion of harassment and malicious communications after they raised concerns about their daughter's primary school, including in a WhatsApp group for parents.
Arrest deemed unlawful by police
The force admitted the "legal test around necessity of arrest was not met" in the January 29 incident, though it stated no officers faced misconduct allegations. Rosalind Levine and Maxie Allen, who described the police's acknowledgment as an "emotional moment," emphasized that the admission of liability-not the financial settlement-mattered most to them.
"We were just really pleased that Hertfordshire Constabulary recognized this shouldn't have happened," Mr. Allen, a Times Radio producer and Liberal Democrat councillor, told the BBC. Ms. Levine recalled six officers arriving at their home, arresting her in front of their three-year-old child while listing allegations she denied, including "malicious communications" and "causing a nuisance."
School conflict escalates to police involvement
The dispute began after the couple questioned the recruitment process for a head teacher at Cowley Hill Primary School in Borehamwood and criticized school leadership in the parents' WhatsApp group. They were subsequently banned from the premises but continued emailing the school about their disabled daughter's needs-she has epilepsy and is neurodivergent.
The school reported a "high volume of direct correspondence and public social media posts" to police, calling the messages "upsetting" for staff and governors. Authorities issued a warning in December, urging the family to withdraw their daughter, which they did in January. A week later, officers arrested the couple.
"When they read out the list of things I was being arrested for, I knew I hadn't done any of those things. I was shocked-they wouldn't have evidence."
Rosalind Levine, to the BBC
Allegations and aftermath
Mr. Allen denied using abusive language, even privately, and noted the school never specified which of their WhatsApp messages were "inflammatory." The strongest remark they found was Ms. Levine calling a senior staff member a "control freak." The experience left her distrustful of police, she said, particularly after their child witnessed her arrest.
Jonathan Ash-Edwards, Hertfordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, called the case a "fundamental breakdown in relationships between a school and parents that shouldn't have become a police matter."
Broader implications
The incident raises questions about police involvement in school disputes and the threshold for arrests over parental criticism. The couple's legal challenge underscores tensions between free expression and institutional responses to perceived harassment.
