A police force that paid £20,000 compensation to a couple arrested over a school WhatsApp group is being sued by a company director thrown in a cell over a blog post.
A dozen Hertfordshire officers arrived at the home of IT boss Sam Smith after the force received complaints from two Facebook group members.
Mr Smith’s house was searched on March 8 last year, his devices were seized and he spent a night in a cell at Hatfield police station.
Detectives dropped the case six days later, noting in the police log that the search was not ‘suitable or lawful.’
Mr Smith, 47, is now suing the force through the High Court for £70,000 for damages and personal injury, claiming the stress of the arrest had caused a recurrence of an eye condition.
The case comes after the same force paid £20,000 to a couple unlawfully arrested after they made complaints about their daughter’s school on a WhatsApp group chat.
Herts police sent six officers to the home of Rosalind Levine and Maxie Allen last January and held the couple for 11 hours on suspicion of harassment and malicious communications, before eventually apologising for doing so.
Mr Smith writes a blog as Matthew Hopkins, the Witchfinder General, named after a real historical figure of the same name who hunted women he accused of being witches in the 1600s.
He wrote an article to correct misinformation about a woman in a local park falsely accused of being a paedophile who was photographed and confronted as a result of online posts.
In his blog, he referred to two men who posted false information about the woman as an extremist and a drug user.
A dozen Hertfordshire officers arrived at the home of IT boss Sam Smith after the force received complaints from two Facebook group members
Mr Smith’s house was searched on March 8 last year, his devices were seized and he spent a night in a cell at Hatfield police station. He is now seeking £70,000 damages from the force
‘What happened to this lady in the park had the potential to be a very serious incident as the online posts escalated,’ Mr Smith said.
‘I wrote two articles about this situation, but it was only after I called out the police and specifically the local inspector for failing to act that they decided to come for me.’
Mr Smith said 12 officers then turned up at his home and told him he was under arrest for sending false communications.
Bodyworn footage of the arrest shows the IT firm director, who answered the door in his dressing gown, visibly shaking during the encounter.
Though he was told he was under arrest over false communications, which is a lowly summary offence, the search of Mr Smith’s home was wrongly carried out for more serious malicious communications offences.
A pile of undelivered Conservative Party leaflets was also seized by the officers wrongly accused Mr Smith of stealing post.
Mr Smith’s case revolves around claims the force failed to properly investigate his complaint about the wrongful arrest, which is backed up by findings made by Hertfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Jonathan Ash-Edwards.
The PCC’s complaints team leader, Carolyn Kitchen, called on the force to assess again whether there were ‘good objective grounds’ for the arrest.
In a letter to Smith she said officers should have considered whether a voluntary interview could have been conducted instead of arrest.
Mr Smith is seeking a summary judgment at a hearing next month before Master Irena Sabic sitting at the Royal Courts of Justice.
He told the Mail: ‘So far Herts Police have failed to settle the case and ignored the recommendations of their own PCC in defiance of best practice and reason. It is a waste of public money and damages public confidence.’
A 2024 report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary found Herts Police required improvement for its investigation of crime and in its leadership and management and was inadequate in its recording of offences.
A spokesman from the force said: ‘We can confirm Mr Smith has issued civil proceedings for a civil claim against Hertfordshire Constabulary. At this time, we do not feel it is appropriate to provide commentary on this case.’
A spokesman from the PCC’s office said: ‘Following the outcome of the Professional Standards Department investigation, Mr Smith exercised his statutory right to have his complaint outcome reviewed by the PCC. This review identified six recommendations. The Professional Standards Department has accepted the majority of these recommendations and are currently acting on them.
‘Mr Smith was updated in February 2026 and the matter remains live while the Professional Standards Department act on the recommendations from the PCC’s Office.’
Mr Smith last week received an interim damages payment from the force of £2,000.
