Teenager accused of homophobia towards police officer to face no further action
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A 16-year-old girl arrested after being accused of making a homophobic remark about a police officer will face no further action.
The teenager was detained by seven officers outside her home in Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the early hours of Monday.
Her mother, who uploaded footage of the incident to TikTok, said alongside the video that her autistic daughter had told her an officer “looked like her nana, who is a lesbian”.
She said the officer “took it the wrong way” and claimed it was a homophobic comment before entering their home.
The girl was then arrested on suspicion of a homophobic public order offence, with footage showing her screaming as she was taken away.
She had initially been driven back to the house by the officer at around 1am, after a family member reported that she was intoxicated in Leeds city centre.
We would like to reassure people that we will take on board any lessons to be learned from this incident
West Yorkshire Police said on Friday she would face no further action and vowed to “take on board any lessons to be learned” after the footage of the arrest sparked criticism on social media.
A statement from the force said: “In relation to an incident in Leeds on Monday, where a 16-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of a homophobic public order offence, West Yorkshire Police has now reviewed the evidence and made the decision to take no further action.
“This concludes the criminal investigation and immediately releases the girl from her bail. Her family has been updated.
“West Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Directorate is continuing to carry out a review of the circumstances after receiving a complaint in relation to the incident.”
Assistant Chief Constable Oz Khan said: “We recognise the significant level of public concern that this incident has generated, and we have moved swiftly to fully review the evidence in the criminal investigation which has led to the decision to take no further action.
“Without pre-empting the outcome of the ongoing review of the circumstances by our Professional Standards Directorate, we would like to reassure people that we will take on board any lessons to be learned from this incident.
“We do appreciate the understandable sensitivities around incidents involving young people and neurodiversity and we are genuinely committed to developing how we respond to these often very challenging situations.”
