It comes after millionaire mum Bonnie Spofforth said she was 'mortified' to be accused of being the first to spread the false rumours.

The woman accused of being first to spread the fake rumours about the Southport killer which sparked nationwide riots has been arrested.

Racist riots spread across the country after misinformation spread on social media claiming the fatal stabbing was carried out by Ali Al-Shakati, believed to be a fictitious name, a Muslim aslyum seeker who was on an MI6 watchlist.

A 55-year-old woman from Chester has now been arrested on suspicion of publishing written material to stir up racial hatred, and false communication. She remains in police custody.

While she has not been named in the police statement about the arrest, it is believed to be Bonnie Spofforth, a mother-of-three and the managing director of a clothing company.

  • ripcord@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    It doesn’t sound even remotely like what her tweet said. That’s not a paraphrase.

    If you’re/they’re going to use quotes of things to compare whether each should be free speech, your quote should at least resemble the actual speech used.

    • davidagain@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      3 months ago

      This isn’t the usa and she doesn’t have the absolute right to say anything she likes, and if her tweet leads to rioting, she’s guilty of inciting violence. Where do you think the false idea that the child murderer was an asylum seeker and violence should happen as a result came from, and what makes you think you’re a better investigator than the British police?

        • davidagain@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          3 months ago

          I’m talking about what her tweet said and why it’s a crime in the UK. What did you think we were talking about?