Update as British man arrested in UK for holding legal gun in US
There has been an update after a British man was arrested in the UK for posing with a gun in America.
Jon Richelieu-Booth shared a photo holding the gun while he was on a holiday in Florida, US. The 50-year-old claimed he was doing it all within the law, on private land and with the owner’s full permission.
However, after he’d shared it on social media and was back home in the UK, police went around to the Yorkshire man’s home and said there had been concerns raised by someone.
They then returned on the night of 24 August and arrested him. While the bail document mentioned an allegation of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear and violence, it’s worth noting that there was also a separate claim of stalking.
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And Richelieu-Booth is now claiming he plans to sue the police and permanently move to the States.
He claimed to the Daily Mail that his reputation has been ‘destroyed’ as his ‘trust’ in the police has been ‘corroded’.
“I've not slept for weeks. I lie awake dreading a knock at my door for whatever they've made up this week,” Booth said. “To be honest, I don't feel welcome in this country anymore. I don't feel safe in this country anymore.”
The IT consultant claims that he’d gone shooting on private land while in Florida to celebrate turning 50 and had a go with various firearms, such as a hunting rifle and a shotgun.
He then shared the selection of photos on LinkedIn on 13 August, saying they were nothing more than just ‘light-hearted holiday photos’.
Richelieu-Booth now claims the complainant behind the police action that led to his arrest is a contractor who owes him around £30,000. It’s alleged he shared a photo of their home online.
Officers reportedly interviewed his neighbours when he was arrested, but the firearms and stalking allegations were eventually dropped. He was charged with a public order offence over a social media post and apparently not told which one, just the date.
He apparently had called the contractor a ‘delinquent’ and told him to do the ‘right thing’.
Richelieu-Booth believes that’s who made the complaint, as he added: “Apparently he was nervous that I’ve got a gun and it looks like a threat, despite the post not having any threat whatsoever.”
He was due to appear in court earlier this week, but the case was reportedly dropped as there was ‘not enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction’.
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."
Topics: Crime, Social Media, UK News
Jess Battison