A Yorkshire man was arrested in the United Kingdom over a photo he posted on social media featuring him holding a legally owned gun while in the US.
Jon Richelieu-Booth posted a photo of himself in August holding a gun on LinkedIn while he was on a holiday in Florida.
He said he held the firearm lawfully, on private land and with full permission from its owner.
The post did not contain any threatening language and described his work and what he had done that day, Richelieu-Booth told The Yorkshire Post.
However, when he returned to the UK, a police officer visited his home and said someone had raised concerns about the picture and he should be wary about what he posts.
Police returned to his residence again around 10pm on August 24 and arrested him.
The bail document mentioned an allegation of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, along with a separate claim of stalking.
Richelieu-Booth said he tried to show police geolocation evidence proving the photo was taken abroad, only to be told it was “not needed”.
He slept in the prison cell overnight and was then interrogated over the picture and another photo of a house he shared on social media – which he told police he had never been to and was taken by someone else.
He was released on bail after which officers visited him on three separate occasions and interviewed his neighbours.
The allegations about stalking and illegal possession of a firearm were dropped, but he was then charged with a public order offence for a different social media post.
Richelieu-Booth was due to appear at Bradford Magistrate Court on Tuesday, Dec. 2, where he could have been jailed for up to six months.
But the case was dropped as, according to the Yorkshire Post, there was “not enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction”.
Jon Richelieu-Booth said he shocked by the behaviour of the West Yorkshire Police.
He said: “I have not been able to sleep, I’ve lived in fear of a knock at my door for the last three months. I haven’t spoken to my neighbours for four months. It has damaged my ability to run my business.
“It was a massive overreach by the police.
“I thought 1984 was a book, not an instruction manual.”
A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “Police received a complaint of stalking involving serious alarm or distress, relating partly to social media posts, several of which included pictures of a male posing with a variety of firearms which the complainant took to be a threat.
“Police investigated and charged a man with a public order offence but the case was then discontinued by the CPS.”
