Woman Arrested Over False Southport Post Held 36 Hours Then Cleared After One Month

Bernadette Spofforth, a 55-year-old woman from near Chester, was arrested on August 8, 2024, on suspicion of stirring up racial hatred after sharing an incorrect name of the Southport attacker on social media, GB News reported. She was held in police custody for 36 hours before release. Spofforth deleted the post as soon as she realized the information was false.

A Chester Police spokesman said no further action was taken due to insufficient evidence, and she was cleared of any wrongdoing one month after the arrest. The arrest occurred amid public disorder across parts of the UK following the July 2024 murders of three young girls at a dance class in Southport by Axel Rudakubana.

Spofforth said she had been in business for 30 years and described the experience as treating her like a terrorist.

She stated that she now lives in fear of being arrested again for something she posts online. Spofforth also referenced an earlier statement by Keir Starmer that mistakes on social media followed by deletion should end the matter.