A senior female MP was forced to face a social services inquiry after an online troll thought he was ‘entitled’ to take the view that her children should be placed out of care.
Stella Creasy, 46, was told by police that they would not impose criminal sanctions on her tormentor, who bombarded her office with emails for disagreeing with her political views.
Leicestershire Police said the bully had a legitimate right to be referred to social services for disagreeing with Creasy’s views on misogyny, even though he had no evidence against the MP.
Creasy, the Labor MP for East London’s Walthamstow, said The times that the police response gave other trolls the “green light” to target the families of those in the public eye just because they don’t like them.
Creasy’s attacker used the alias ‘Lance Jones’ and had no personal connection to the politician or her children.
Stella Creasy, 46, Labor MP for East London’s Walthamstow, had to face a social services inquiry after an online troll tried to take her children from her
Creasy was told by police that they would not impose criminal sanctions on her tormentor, who bombarded her office with emails because he was “entitled” to take the view that her children should be placed under surveillance.
He complained about the MP’s campaigns against misogyny and violence against women, and her call for her breastfed baby to be allowed into the voting room.
Creasy was made the subject of a safety assessment by its city council in November.
Although the politician was acquitted and her tormentor was referred to the police over concerns about harassment, the council has been legally prevented from striking the complaint about her ‘anti-male views’ from its official register.
A sergeant told Creasy that Jones had a “legal right to raise concerns with social care,” noting, “He did this because he is afraid that if your views are communicated to your children, they will become extreme.”
Meanwhile, the force concluded that while Jones’ emails upset the politician, there was “no direct verbal or physical threat.”
Creasy has expressed her views on a plethora of women’s issues, from the call to make misogyny a hate crime to wanting better maternity cover for MPs
It comes after Reality TV star Ashley James recalled the horrifying moment her ‘world came crashing down’ when she discovered she had been reported to social services by vicious internet trolls
It explained that the case had been reviewed by a detective inspector and did not meet the requirements for criminal charges of harassment.
Creasy is now calling for malicious reports to social services to be treated as seriously as a false report to the police, which involves wasting police time or perverting the course of justice.
Creasy’s difficulty comes after reality TV star Ashley James claimed her “world came crashing down” when she was approached by social services wanting to discuss her young family following false reports from online trolls.
The former Made In Chelsea star revealed in 2022 that she was “sick” with the allegations when she received a letter expressing “concern” about her family.
Ashley gave an update on the ordeal, which took place last October, telling how her case has since closed before she convicted trolls of “taking away vital resources” from vulnerable children “at risk of abuse or neglect.”
Creasy has expressed her views on a plethora of women’s issues, from calling for misogyny to be made a hate crime to wanting better maternity coverage for MPs.
In the case involving her children, Jones contacted Waltham Forest Council in East London to propose that Creasy’s children be taken away from her.
The municipality is legally entitled to keep a file, the file is checked and marked to emphasize that it was an unfounded complaint.
A spokesperson for Leicestershire Police said: ‘(We) take any report of harassment extremely seriously and will conduct a full investigation and take appropriate action.
“The force remains fully committed to keeping women and girls safe.”
A Waltham Forest council spokesperson said: “All allegations of protection will be dealt with in accordance with national law.”
They added that they “have a duty to treat every case seriously and to ensure that legal process is followed.”
MailOnline has contacted Leicestershire Police and Waltham Forest Council for further comment.
