Gavin Barwell, the Conservative MP for Croydon Central, has taken up the case of the Croydon Advertiser reporter, Gareth Davies, who is disputing the imposition of an harassment notice by the Metropolitan police.
Davies’s appeal against the issuing of the police information notice (PIN) was rejected by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
Now Barwell has written to the IPPC’s chief executive, Lesley Longstone, to contest that decision, arguing that it amounts to “a very worrying attack on press freedom”.
His letter takes issue with the basis of the judgement made by IPCC’s casework manager who decided that the police’s action had been correct.
The case centres on Davies’s reporting on a woman, Neelam Desai, who had pleaded guilty to fraud offences (and was later sentenced to jail). Davies approached her at her home and later sent her a single email.
But Desai complained to the police that Davies had harassed her and he was issued with a PIN. After his paper made a formal complaint to the Met police about the issuing of the PIN, the matter was investigated by Inspector Claire Robbins, who decided that Davies’s attempts to question Desai went “beyond what is reasonable”.
In her report she said: “Once Ms Desai made it clear of her wishes [not to give her side of the story] the repeated texts, emails and even alleged visits to Ms Desai’s home address serve no obvious purpose”.
Davies was amazed, arguing that Robbins appeared to have taken Desai’s word that there were repeated texts and emails. He maintained that that he had never sent Desai any texts, nor had he made multiple visits to her home.
So the Advertiser complained to the IPCC. But its casework manager, Paul Berry, supported the Robbins report and said there was no requirement to investigate Desai’s claims of harassment.
In his letter to Longstone, Barwell writes: “Mr Davies is a well-regarded local reporter who was investigating a story that was clearly in the public interest.
“The individual that Mr Davies was investigating complained to the police who, without checking whether Ms Desai’s claims were true, issued a warning to Mr Davies advising him to desist”.
He asked for Longstone a “swift response” and has copied in home secretary Theresa May, justice secretary Michael Gove and culture secretary John Whittingdale. Barwell’s website carries the full letter.
Press Gazette has also launched a petition on Davies’s behalf, here on the change.org website, urging the Met police commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, to cancel the PIN.
It lists three reasons: first, that Davies did nothing to warrant it being issued; second, that the PIN tarnishes Davies’s charcater because it will show up on an enhanced criminal records check; and third, it sets a dangerous precedent and could deter other journalists from carrying out public interest investigations.
I have signed and I urge every journalist to do so. This sets a worrying precedent that has a chilling effect on our ability to report.
