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British Man Arrested, Harassed For Months by Police After Posing With Shotgun While on Vacation in Florida

Man aiming a shotgun at a target near a pond, surrounded by greenery, wearing headphones for hearing protection.

Man aiming a shotgun at a target near a pond, surrounded by greenery, wearing headphones for hearing protection.
Jon Richelieu Booth posed with a shotgun while on holiday in Florida.

A British man was arrested and harassed by local police after posing with a shotgun while on vacation in Florida.

Jon Richelieu-Booth, a 55-year-old IT contractor, had uploaded a picture of himself holding firearms at a Florida homestead on August 13.

What should have been nothing more than a LinkedIn holiday snap instead triggered a 13-week saga, starting with officers turning up at his home to warn him about how online content might affect people’s feelings.

After offering them proof the photos were taken in America, poliuce went ahead and arrested him on August 24.

Even after all charges were dropped, officers came back to his house after 10pm that night and arrested him again.

Bail paperwork accused him of having guns “to frighten” and of stalking because he had posted a picture of a property online.

In the weeks that followed, officers returned to his home three more times. In October, he was arrested again for supposedly breaching bail.

Prosecutors then tried pursuing him over a separate social media post, alleging a public order offence. He was due in Bradford magistrates’ court on November 25, but that case was also withdrawn.

With his electronic devices seized, Richelieu-Booth says even his IT work was brought to a halt.

“I’ve been put through 13 weeks of hell,” he told The Yorkshire Post. 

“When did we go from a society where you can have a discussion with somebody and go, ‘You know what? I don’t like your opinion. I’m going to disagree with you, but I’m not going to tell you why, I’m going to call the police.’”

“I will be filing a case against the police,” he added. “I will be seeking quite a lot of damages.”

West Yorkshire Police declined to comment, saying it “wouldn’t be appropriate to comment” while a formal complaint may be underway.

The case has drawn attention from Elon Musk, who said it was further evidence of why America needs the Second Amendment.

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