Journalist shocked at police 'harassment' visit

Sarah Ward said she had worked as a journalist in Northamptonshire since 2003 and nothing like it had ever happened to her before

A journalist said she was "shocked" after being questioned by a police officer for the alleged "harassment" of a former councillor.

Sarah Ward from NN Journal, an online Northamptonshire news site, said an officer visited her home on Tuesday.

She was told it was because she had approached Matthew Binley for comment several times after it was reported he admitted he had been accused of having sex with an underage girl. Northamptonshire Police said it had apologised to Ms Ward and "no further action would be taken".

Mr Binley told the BBC he contacted police as he believed "repeated attempts" to contact him met the legal threshold for harassment.

Matthew Binley was also suspended from the wider Conservative Party

Ms Ward said: "I was shocked when I saw the [police] van pull up outside.

"The officer said 'it's about Matt Binley' and I thought it was to ask questions about what had gone on [earlier in the year] and he made it clear it was questions I needed to answer."

Mr Binley, a former councillor at North Northamptonshire Council, was expelled from the Conservative group at a private meeting on 5 February and went on to sit as an independent, and then did not stand in May's local elections.

The leader of the Conservative group at the council confirmed he had made a referral to the police in relation to Mr Binley.

In February, Danielle Stone, the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, asked for anyone with new information into the incident about the allegations, which she said stemmed from 2009 while Mr Binley was serving for the county's police force, to come forward.

Mr Binley's admission to colleagues was first reported in the NN Journal earlier this year.

During the police interview this week, Ms Ward said she "pushed back" at the police officer and asked "on what grounds? What law have I broken?".

She said she was told it was a "breach of the Harassment Act, and it was a warning".

She said she explained she was a journalist and it was "standard procedure" to contact someone for "right of reply, but he didn't seem to listen".

"I then rang the [police's] media officer as I knew it was wrong. They did respond quickly and it [Ms Ward's complaint] was escalated."

'Some learning'

Assistant Chief Constable Adam Ward said: "I have personally spoken to Sarah and, on behalf of the force, I would like to apologise to her for the way this was handled.

"There is some learning for the officer who made the visit, but there is also some for the wider force.

"We deployed an officer to the home of a journalist without considering whether this should have been escalated, at the very least to an inspector or chief inspector.

"A crime was recorded, as we are required to do when an allegation of an offence is made, but it was subsequently filed as no further action."

Ms Ward said: "It's unbelievable a police officer wouldn't understand the role of a journalist.

"I'm hoping this will filter through and there will be some training of officers and they will be made aware journalists have the right to contact someone to get a right of reply."

She confirmed she was going to submit a formal complaint to the force.

Mr Binley said he reported his harassment claim in February, and it resurfaced as he complained to the force about its "failure to investigate".

He said he was told by the officer who reviewed his claims that the incident "met the legal threshold for harassment".

"This was due to the repeated attempts to contact me, including multiple unsolicited phone calls, texts and emails," he said.

"I fully respect the importance of a free press, but freedom of the press does not mean freedom to act without limits or outside of the law."