Napier Barracks: Police release photographer without charge

Protesters calling for Napier Barracks to be closed threw fake blood at the gates on 28 January

A photographer arrested after taking pictures of a protest at Kent's Napier Barracks, which houses asylum seekers, has been told he will not face charges.

Andy Aitchison, 46, of Folkestone, was held for seven hours and said his phone and memory card were seized.

He was questioned on suspicion of criminal damage, but the arrest prompted questions in Parliament concerning press freedom.

Kent Police said an arrest did "not imply guilt".

Mr Aitchison was originally released under investigation but has since been told he will not face any charges.

The freelance photographer said he was taking legal advice from the National Union of Journalists.

The arrest was raised in the Commons on Thursday when Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden described freedom of expression as "one of our cherished liberties" and said a plan to protect journalists would be published.

It is not known who staged the "fake blood" protest last Thursday

Napier Barracks has been in the headlines for several weeks following protests, a Covid-19 outbreak, legal action over conditions there, and a disturbance that saw a building go up in flames.

The Home Office has repeatedly defended conditions, saying the site is "safe, suitable and Covid-secure".

Mr Aitchison photographed a demonstration where protesters threw fake blood at the gates on 28 January.

Police arrested him in his kitchen after the images were published on Getty Images and used online.

He has revealed he had to deal with the incident at the same time as his family was grieving over his mother's death.

An unrelated fire at the barracks last Friday is being treated as suspected arson

Mr Aitchison said: "I am a freelance journalist and document public interest stories. This arrest has put my future ability to work and gain access to such events in jeopardy and has put me in fear of further arrest."

A spokesman for Kent Police said: "As part of enquiries into the criminal damage and to establish the full circumstances, CCTV footage has been examined and he [Mr Aitchison] has subsequently been released without charge.

"An arrest does not imply guilt and in some cases people are released without charge.

"It also does not imply that anyone is in the wrong, whether that is the individual arrested or the officer who made the arrest."

Police investigations into the wider protest are still ongoing.

Some asylum seekers have slept outside in protest at the conditions in the building