Judge rules police statements about writer may be defamatory

In a preliminary judgment, Mr Justice Chamberlain found that part of the Essex Police statement could be defamatory because it may have implied Pearson had committed a crime by attending an interview following 'a complaint of a possible criminal offence.' He noted the statements did not name Pearson but could be understood to refer to her; the judge also found that Hirst’s LBC interview could be defamatory, bearing the meaning that there were reasonable grounds to investigate Pearson for inciting racial hatred. Pearson had pursued a legal action against the force and Hirst over statements about the now-deleted X post.

At a High Court hearing in March 2026, Mr Justice Chamberlain was asked to consider the natural and ordinary meaning of the Essex Police statements and of comments by Roger Hirst about the investigation.

The force published a series of online press releases outlining its version of events surrounding the incident and the inquiry into Pearson.

Constables visited Daily Telegraph journalist Allison Pearson in November 2024 after it was alleged she had incited racial hatred in a post on X; Pearson says officers knocked on her door on Remembrance Sunday 2024 and invited her to be interviewed under caution. The investigation into the alleged offence was later dropped. Officers also visited an address in Essex and invited a woman to attend a voluntary interview.