Cliff Notes
- Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine were arrested by Hertfordshire Police following a dispute with Cowley Hill Primary School over their daughter’s education, resulting in eight hours of police detention.
- The couple’s arrest stemmed from messages in a parents’ WhatsApp group, leading the school to notify police after receiving multiple critical emails from them; no further action was taken after a five-week investigation due to insufficient evidence.
- Hertfordshire Police stated that the arrests were necessary for a full investigation into the allegations of harassment and malicious communications, while the school emphasised the need for concerns to be raised appropriately.
Couple arrested after school WhatsApp chat messages say they ‘cannot fathom what happened’ | UK News
A couple arrested after a dispute with their daughter’s school say they “cannot fathom what happened” and have described the moment six officers turned up at their home as “inexplicable”.
Maxie Allen, 50, and Rosalind Levine, 46, from Borehamwood, were detained in January by Hertfordshire Police and held in a police cell for eight hours following the dispute, which included messages shared on a parents’ WhatsApp chat.
After Hertfordshire Police officers detained them in front of their younger daughter, aged three, their home was searched, and they were questioned on suspicion of harassment, malicious communications, and causing a nuisance on school property.
Police concluded that there should be no further action after a five-week investigation, The Times newspaper first reported.
The row with Cowley Hill Primary School started after Mr Allen complained about the recruitment process for a new head teacher.
The school then contacted police after it objected to the parents sending several emails and criticising staff on a parents’ WhatsApp group. They were also blocked from attending parents’ evening.
Mr Allen and Ms Levine’s daughter, nine-year-old Sascha, suffers from epilepsy and is neurodivergent, but the couple say they were not allowed to meet teachers about her medical conditions.
Mr Allen told Sky News: “When you watch the doorbell footage, you think, what are these six police officers doing? What is this operation?
Is it a drug den?
“Is it a terror cell, is it a drug den they’re about to raid? No, it was two parents in a dispute with the school. I would like to know how [Hertfordshire Police] made that decision, that that was the appropriate and necessary operation.”
He added: “I don’t know if we’re the first parents to have an experience like this, but I hope we’re the last.”
Ms Levine said the incident remains “explicable” to her and Mr Allen.
“We cannot fathom what happened, it doesn’t make any sense. We made a few inquiries, we had a bit of banter on a WhatsApp group, and then we were arrested,” she said.
In a statement, Hertfordshire Police said: “Following reports of harassment and malicious communications, which are criminal offences, a man and a woman from Borehamwood, both aged in their 40s, were arrested on Wednesday 29 January.
“The arrests were necessary to fully investigate the allegations as is routine in these types of matters. Following further investigations, officers deemed that no further action should be taken due to insufficient evidence.”
A spokesperson for Cowley Hill Primary School said: “We sought advice from the police following a high volume of direct correspondence and public social media posts from two parents, as this was becoming upsetting for staff, parents and governors.
“We’re always happy for parents to raise concerns, but we do ask that they do this in a suitable way, and in line with the school’s published complaints procedure,” the school’s statement said.
A spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council said: “Following the departure of the former headteacher, an interim head was appointed for the one term to allow time for a proper recruitment process to be carried out.
“The role was advertised publicly, and the recruitment was supported by external professional advisers. We are confident that this was a fair, transparent and timely process.”