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Caroline Farrow Twitter
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Caroline Farrow Twitter
UK News

Catholic campaigner arrested in front of children over alleged ‘malicious’ online posts

by Alex Collett

A Catholic campaigner says she was left "in shock" after she was arrested at her home in front of her children and body searched by police for allegedly posting “malicious” anonymous posts online.

Caroline Farrow was left upset after two police officers from Surrey Police reportedly "forced" their way into her home to arrest her on Monday night.

Ms Farrow denies the accusations, claiming she was playing the organ during Mass at the Holy Angels Church in Aldershot when the posts were uploaded.

She tweeted: "Anyone who has played organ for Mass will understand that you cannot be playing on your phone & posting on the internet.

"It's not just hymns but also the Mass setting. Besides which I rarely use a phone unless I am visiting a new church and am using the Laudate app for readings."

A spokesperson for Surrey Police said officers attended the address in Guildford as part of a probe into "allegations of malicious communications and harassment" adding that officers “seized a number of electronic devices”.

Surrey Police said: "A 48-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of both offences.

"A number of electronic devices were seized as potential evidence from this address under section 19 of PACE.

"Where an offence is alleged to have been committed on an electronic device, for example, it may hold a key piece of evidence and may routinely be seized during an investigation.

Temporary Detective Chief Inspector David Bentley said: "There is significant commentary on social media around the perceived circumstances behind this investigation.

"We do not have the freedom of detailing every stage of our inquiries or the specifics of an allegation on social media as it is critical we do not pre-empt or prejudice any future proceedings at any stage.

"When we receive an allegation of a crime, in this instance one where a grossly offensive message is said to have been communicated, it is our job to assess it alongside any available evidence to identify if an offence has been committed.

"If it has, we gather further evidence and carry out an investigation to prove or disprove the allegation. That is exactly the process that is being followed in this case.

"The investigation into these allegations is very much ongoing and the relevant inquiries are being carried out. We have a duty to protect the integrity of an investigation, so we will not be providing a running commentary on this case."

Mrs Farrow has now been released under investigation and inquiries remain ongoing.

The row first started from a series of anonymous posts shared on forums on website Kiwi Farms in June.

Mrs Farrow tweeted: "Posts were printed from KiwiFarms and given to the police as evidence and the police have taken the complainants' word for it in the utter absence of evidence. It's unreal."

Mrs Farrow was previously the subject of a five-month police investigation by Surrey Police after she was accused of calling a transgender woman 'he' on Twitter.

Premier Christian News has contacted Caroline Farrow for comment.

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