AN IT boss who says he was arrested for posing with a gun on LinkedIn has claimed cops told him he “needs to understand people’s feelings”.
Jon Richelieu-Booth said that he had posted three images of himself with firearms while staying on private property with friends while in Florida, US.
But Jon’s visit to The Sunshine State soon took a difficult turn after jetting home.
When the 50-year-old arrived back in the UK in August, a police officer visited his house to warn him that concerns had been raised about his account.
The Jon said he offered to prove that the pictures had been taken in the US, where owning or shooting guns are legal.
However, officers told him it was not necessary.
A week later on August 23, the officers returned and arrested him on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
He also faced another allegation of stalking related to a photograph of a house that appeared on his social media.
Jon was held overnight in a cell before being interviewed and was then released on bail until October.
He claims police visited his home three more times before the charges against him were dropped.
The IT contractor accused the police as a “massive overreach”.
He told The Telegraph: “Anybody should be allowed to say anything they wish, as long as it’s not hateful.
“When did we go from a society where you can have a discussion with somebody and go, ‘You know what? I don’t like your opinion. I’m going to disagree with you, but I’m not going to tell you why, I’m going to call the police’.
“When did we get so thin-skinned as a society?”
In October, Jon was re-arrested for allegedly breaching his bail conditions – a charge that was later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.
He was then charged with a public order offence over a separate social media post, with this charge also later dropped.
However, West Yorkshire Police did not confirm which social media post prompted the charge.
The 50-year-old was also due to appear in court on November 25, charged with causing alarm or distress.
This charge that was also later dropped by the CPS.
Jon is now considering making a formal complaint against West Yorkshire Police after enduring “13 weeks of hell”.
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police 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.”
