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https://metro.co.uk/2025/11/29/british-man-arrested-posing-gun-us-instagram-post-24963842/
November 30, 2025

Man arrested in the UK for posing with gun more than 4,000 miles away in the US

A Yorkshire man was arrested over a photo he posted on social media featuring him holding a legally owned gun in the US.

Jon Richelieu-Booth posted a photo of himself in August holding a gun on LinkedIn while he was on a holiday in Florida.

He said he held the firearm lawfully, on private land and with full permission from its owner.

The post did not contain any threatening language and described his work and what he had done that day, Richelieu-Booth told The Yorkshire Post.

But a police officer came round to his home and said someone had raised concerns about the picture and he should be wary about what he posts.

Police returned to his residence again around 10pm on August 24 and arrested him.

The bail document mentioned an allegation of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, along with a separate claim of stalking.

Richelieu-Booth said he tried to show police geolocation evidence proving the photo was taken abroad, only to be told it was ‘not needed’.

He slept in the prison cell overnight and was then interrogated over the picture and another photo of a house he shared on social media – which he told police he had never been to and was taken by someone else.

He was released on bail until the end of October – officers visited him on three separate occasions and interviewed his neighbours.

The allegations about stalking and illegal possession of a firearm were dropped, but he was then charged with a public order offence for a different social media post.

Richelieu-Booth was due to appear at Bradford Magistrate Court on Tuesday, where he could have been jailed for up to six months.

But the case was dropped as, according to the Yorkshire Post, there was ‘not enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction’.

Jon Richelieu-Booth said he shocked by the ‘Orwellian’ behaviour of the West Yorkshire Police.

He said: ‘I have not been able to sleep, I’ve lived in fear of a knock at my door for the last three months. I haven’t spoken to my neighbours for four months. It has damaged my ability to run my business.

‘It was a massive overreach by the police.

‘I thought 1984 was a book, not an instruction manual.’

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson 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.’
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On 11/30/2025 10:46 AM, Ed Stasiak wrote:

https://metro.co.uk/2025/11/29/british-man-arrested-posing-gun-us-instagram-post-24963842/
November 30, 2025

Man arrested in the UK for posing with gun more than 4,000 miles away in the US

...

Not sure that can be taken at face value...


https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/comments/1p9mh5h/it_consultant_arrested_after_posing_with_gun_on/


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Ed Stasiak <user1263@newsgrouper.org.invalid> wrote:

https://metro.co.uk/2025/11/29/british-man-arrested-posing-gun-us-instagram-post-24963842/

My further congratulations to moviePig for getting the world in which he
always wanted to live in.

All hail moviePig.
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On Nov 30, 2025 at 7:46:51 AM PST, "Ed Stasiak" <user1263@newsgrouper.org.invalid> wrote:

https://metro.co.uk/2025/11/29/british-man-arrested-posing-gun-us-instagram-post-24963842/
November 30, 2025

Man arrested in the UK for posing with gun more than 4,000 miles away in the US

A Yorkshire man was arrested over a photo he posted on social media featuring him holding a legally owned gun in the US.

Jon Richelieu-Booth posted a photo of himself in August holding a gun on LinkedIn while he was on a holiday in Florida.

This ties directly in with what I mentioned yesterday, how the police in the
UK are monitoring social media for what people do and say around the world so they can be arrested if the ever enter the UK.

He said he held the firearm lawfully, on private land and with full permission from its owner.

The post did not contain any threatening language and described his work and what he had done that day, Richelieu-Booth told The Yorkshire Post.

But a police officer came round to his home and said someone had raised concerns about the picture and he should be wary about what he posts.

Police returned to his residence again around 10pm on August 24 and arrested him.

The bail document mentioned an allegation of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, along with a separate claim of stalking.

So they're alleging that by shooting at a target range in the United States,
he intended to cause fear of violence? Seems like the prosecutor is going to have a pretty high bar to provide evidence of that. Or do they not bother with burdens of proof anymore in the UK? If you're accused of one of these thought crimes or anti-Agenda crimes, you're just presumed guilty?

And who is he supposed to have stalked by shooting a gun at a target in Florida?

Richelieu-Booth said he tried to show police geolocation evidence proving the photo was taken abroad, only to be told it was ‘not needed’.

He slept in the prison cell overnight and was then interrogated over the picture and another photo of a house he shared on social media – which he told police he had never been to and was taken by someone else.

He was released on bail until the end of October – officers visited him on three separate occasions and interviewed his neighbours.

The allegations about stalking and illegal possession of a firearm were dropped, but he was then charged with a public order offence for a different social media post.

If you embarrass us by beating the charge, we'll dig and dig and dig until we can get you for something else.

"Show me the man and I'll show you the crime." -- Lavrentiy Beria, head of Stalin’s secret police (NKVD)


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On Sun, 30 Nov 2025 21:07:48 -0000 (UTC), BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com>
wrote:

On Nov 30, 2025 at 7:46:51 AM PST, "Ed Stasiak" ><user1263@newsgrouper.org.invalid> wrote:

https://metro.co.uk/2025/11/29/british-man-arrested-posing-gun-us-instagram-post-24963842/
November 30, 2025

Man arrested in the UK for posing with gun more than 4,000 miles away in the >> US

A Yorkshire man was arrested over a photo he posted on social media featuring
him holding a legally owned gun in the US.

Jon Richelieu-Booth posted a photo of himself in August holding a gun on
LinkedIn while he was on a holiday in Florida.

This ties directly in with what I mentioned yesterday, how the police in the >UK are monitoring social media for what people do and say around the world so >they can be arrested if the ever enter the UK.

He said he held the firearm lawfully, on private land and with full
permission from its owner.

The post did not contain any threatening language and described his work and >> what he had done that day, Richelieu-Booth told The Yorkshire Post.

But a police officer came round to his home and said someone had raised
concerns about the picture and he should be wary about what he posts.

Police returned to his residence again around 10pm on August 24 and arrested >> him.

The bail document mentioned an allegation of possessing a firearm with intent
to cause fear of violence, along with a separate claim of stalking.

So they're alleging that by shooting at a target range in the United States, >he intended to cause fear of violence? Seems like the prosecutor is going to >have a pretty high bar to provide evidence of that. Or do they not bother with >burdens of proof anymore in the UK? If you're accused of one of these thought >crimes or anti-Agenda crimes, you're just presumed guilty?

The problem appears to be the on-going conflict he had with someone.
So there's some (unjustified in my eyes) association between the
conflict and the pictures of him shooting a gun. Given that the police
dropped the issue it's clear that once they looked into it they agreed
there was no crime, but why didn't they do the investigation before
they arrested him? Seems like the obvious thing to do.

And who is he supposed to have stalked by shooting a gun at a target in >Florida?

Richelieu-Booth said he tried to show police geolocation evidence proving the
photo was taken abroad, only to be told it was ‘not needed’.

Because they didn't care to do any investigation ahead of time. Now
maybe the police officers aren't allowed to do any investigation and
to use their brains. That's left to the detectives.

He slept in the prison cell overnight and was then interrogated over the
picture and another photo of a house he shared on social media – which he >> told police he had never been to and was taken by someone else.

He was released on bail until the end of October – officers visited him on >> three separate occasions and interviewed his neighbours.

Three visits and they couldn't clear it up.

The allegations about stalking and illegal possession of a firearm were
dropped, but he was then charged with a public order offence for a different >> social media post.

If you embarrass us by beating the charge, we'll dig and dig and dig until we >can get you for something else.

"Show me the man and I'll show you the crime." -- Lavrentiy Beria, head of >Stalin’s secret police (NKVD)

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shawn <nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 21:07:48 -0000 (UTC), BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com>:

Nov 30, 2025 7:46:51 AM PST Ed Stasiak <user1263@newsgrouper.org.invalid>:

https://metro.co.uk/2025/11/29/british-man-arrested-posing-gun-us-instagram-post-24963842/

November 30, 2025

Man arrested in the UK for posing with gun more than 4,000 miles away in the >>>US

A Yorkshire man was arrested over a photo he posted on social media >>>featuring him holding a legally owned gun in the US.

Jon Richelieu-Booth posted a photo of himself in August holding a gun on >>>LinkedIn while he was on a holiday in Florida.

This ties directly in with what I mentioned yesterday, how the police in the >>UK are monitoring social media for what people do and say around the world so >>they can be arrested if the ever enter the UK.

He said he held the firearm lawfully, on private land and with full >>>permission from its owner.

The post did not contain any threatening language and described his work >>>and what he had done that day, Richelieu-Booth told The Yorkshire Post.

But a police officer came round to his home and said someone had raised >>>concerns about the picture and he should be wary about what he posts.

Police returned to his residence again around 10pm on August 24 and >>>arrested him.

The bail document mentioned an allegation of possessing a firearm
with intent to cause fear of violence, along with a separate claim
of stalking.

So they're alleging that by shooting at a target range in the United >>States, he intended to cause fear of violence? Seems like the prosecutor
is going to have a pretty high bar to provide evidence of that. Or
do they not bother with burdens of proof anymore in the UK? If you're >>accused of one of these thought crimes or anti-Agenda crimes, you're
just presumed guilty?

The problem appears to be the on-going conflict he had with someone.

No. The problem is that police acted upon what was clearly a false
police report in a personal conflict, and immediately rejected evidence
that the accused showed that the complaint could not be sustained.

So there's some (unjustified in my eyes) association between the
conflict and the pictures of him shooting a gun. Given that the police >dropped the issue it's clear that once they looked into it they agreed
there was no crime, but why didn't they do the investigation before
they arrested him? Seems like the obvious thing to do.

It's exactly what BRT1701 said. The accused has no civil rights. Police
don't have evidence, let alone England's version of probable cause, yet
make the arrest regardless. That an accusation was made is sufficient
for the presumption of guilt.

Furthermore, everyone on earth is guilty of having committed an offense
against public order, perhaps on a daily basis, just through ordinary
speech and writing that wouldn't even raise an eyebrow as ordinary First Amendment activity in the United States.

And who is he supposed to have stalked by shooting a gun at a target in >>Florida?

Richelieu-Booth said he tried to show police geolocation evidence
proving the photo was taken abroad, only to be told it was 'not needed'.

Because they didn't care to do any investigation ahead of time. Now
maybe the police officers aren't allowed to do any investigation and
to use their brains. That's left to the detectives.

Even a patrol officer gathers evidence. Under normal criminal procedure,
no arrest may be made without sufficient evidence for probable cause.
It's a huge problem for the accused of an offense against public order
as the arrest is nearly always made without evidence.

. . .

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BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com> posted:

On Nov 30, 2025 at 7:46:51 AM PST, "Ed Stasiak" <user1263@newsgrouper.org.invalid> wrote:

https://metro.co.uk/2025/11/29/british-man-arrested-posing-gun-us-instagram-post-24963842/
November 30, 2025

Man arrested in the UK for posing with gun more than 4,000 miles away in the
US

A Yorkshire man was arrested over a photo he posted on social media featuring
him holding a legally owned gun in the US.

Jon Richelieu-Booth posted a photo of himself in August holding a gun on LinkedIn while he was on a holiday in Florida.

This ties directly in with what I mentioned yesterday, how the police in the UK are monitoring social media for what people do and say around the world so they can be arrested if the ever enter the UK.

That seems like a pretty good reason right there to never BE on social media in the first place. Or never got to Britain again if you do use social media.

Personally, I don't use *any* of the big social media platforms. I confine myself to Usenet and YouTube. My comments in both places are anonymized to make it difficult at best for the Thought Police to track me down.

And that's the way I like it. I don't feel like I'm missing anything by not doing Facebook or WhatsApp or any of that other stuff.
--
Rhino
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On Sun, 30 Nov 2025 21:07:48 -0000 (UTC), BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com>
wrote:

This ties directly in with what I mentioned yesterday, how the police in the >UK are monitoring social media for what people do and say around the world so >they can be arrested if the ever enter the UK.

I've made 12 separate trips to Hong Kong both before and since 1997
though I'm unlikely to be going back now that I'm retired.

Which is probably a good thing for me since I'd guess it's at least
50-50 that at least one of my postings has been seen by a PRC agent
and added to a file. Postings of a sort that might cause me discomfort
were I there now.

On the other hand, I'm more likely to visit the UK than Hong Kong as
one of my two daughters actually lives there.

If my paranoia isn't paranoia then I'm likely to be safer after the
fall of Starmer which given some of the UK Youtube shows is likely to
be long before his term of office ends in 2029.
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On Sun, 30 Nov 2025 17:04:47 -0500, shawn
<nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:

The problem appears to be the on-going conflict he had with someone.
So there's some (unjustified in my eyes) association between the
conflict and the pictures of him shooting a gun. Given that the police >dropped the issue it's clear that once they looked into it they agreed
there was no crime, but why didn't they do the investigation before
they arrested him? Seems like the obvious thing to do.

Sounds like a "Non-Crime Hate Incident" to me. (If you Google that
phrase you may be in for a bit of a shock given the UK is supposed to
be the "Mother of Parliaments")

As if the UK police had time for that sort of thing while still doing
a good job of dealing with "Crime Incidents" e.g. ordinary policing.
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On 2025-12-09 5:10 p.m., The Horny Goat wrote:

On Sun, 30 Nov 2025 17:04:47 -0500, shawn
<nanoflower@notforg.m.a.i.l.com> wrote:

The problem appears to be the on-going conflict he had with someone.
So there's some (unjustified in my eyes) association between the
conflict and the pictures of him shooting a gun. Given that the police
dropped the issue it's clear that once they looked into it they agreed
there was no crime, but why didn't they do the investigation before
they arrested him? Seems like the obvious thing to do.

Sounds like a "Non-Crime Hate Incident" to me. (If you Google that
phrase you may be in for a bit of a shock given the UK is supposed to
be the "Mother of Parliaments")

As if the UK police had time for that sort of thing while still doing
a good job of dealing with "Crime Incidents" e.g. ordinary policing.

They almost never tackle the kind of actions we think of as crimes, like burglary. I'm serious. Some of the 20-odd police agencies in the UK,
like the Metropolitan Police in London, West Midlands Police, etc.
haven't solved a single burglary or car theft in a few years now. I'm
not sure if those crimes even get *investigated* let alone result in an
arrest or conviction. But say something mean on social media and they
are all over you. To name just one example, five armed police (and those
are rare in the UK) arrested screenwriter Graham Linehan for social
media posts he made in the US upon arriving back at Heathrow. (I believe
they eventually decided not to press charges. Also, I don't think they
were armed because it was Linehan but because their beat was the airport
and some or all of the police there are routinely armed.)
--
Rhino
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On 2025-12-09 5:07 p.m., The Horny Goat wrote:

On Sun, 30 Nov 2025 21:07:48 -0000 (UTC), BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com>
wrote:

This ties directly in with what I mentioned yesterday, how the police in the >> UK are monitoring social media for what people do and say around the world so
they can be arrested if the ever enter the UK.

I've made 12 separate trips to Hong Kong both before and since 1997
though I'm unlikely to be going back now that I'm retired.

Which is probably a good thing for me since I'd guess it's at least
50-50 that at least one of my postings has been seen by a PRC agent
and added to a file. Postings of a sort that might cause me discomfort
were I there now.

On the other hand, I'm more likely to visit the UK than Hong Kong as
one of my two daughters actually lives there.

If my paranoia isn't paranoia then I'm likely to be safer after the
fall of Starmer which given some of the UK Youtube shows is likely to
be long before his term of office ends in 2029.

Some of the pundits think Starmer won't make it to Christmas - *this* Christmas. That's almost too bad. I can imagine a new leader making more sensible policies and getting Labour's support back, much like Carney is
doing (or pretending to do) here with the Liberals after the hard left
turn we made under Trudeau. I want Labour to crash and burn very very
badly so that more centrist and right-leaning parties can dominate
Parliament. There are still too many Labour MPs whose only point of
contention with the rest of their party is whether Trotsky or Mao had
the best ideas for building "true" socialism. (I've seen Peter Hitchens
insist that Starmer is a Trotskyite.)
--
Rhino
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