Journalist questioned by Devon and Cornwall Police over tweets about ex-officer charged with harassment

A journalist was interviewed by Devon and Cornwall Police after posting four tweets about a former force sergeant who has been charged with stalking and harassment, according to the journalist and a police statement.

Rebecca Tidy-Harris, who reported the matter on social media, said she was told weeks earlier by a Devon and Cornwall constable that she was under criminal investigation for harassment and was asked to attend a voluntary interview. She said she was told non-attendance would result in arrest and that officers did not disclose the nature of the allegation for two months. Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that an allegation of harassment relating to online content was made to the force in March 2025 and that a woman in her 30s was interviewed as a voluntary attendee on Sept. 1 and released under investigation.

Tidy-Harris described the four posts presented to her by officers as: a factual update stating the former Devon and Cornwall Police officer, Harry Tangye, had been charged following an investigation led by West Yorkshire Police; a quoted link to a Plymouth Live article about an arrest; a remark in which she said she believed the defendant’s bail had been extended; and a selfie taken on a busy public beach with her seven-year-old daughter in Cornwall. She said she had not tagged or contacted the complainant.

In an account of the station interview provided to media, Tidy-Harris said officers recorded the discussion and asked questions about whether she had personal relationships with police officers or the complainant, including whether she had had a sexual relationship with him. She said her solicitor advised limiting comment during questioning and later read a short statement asserting the tweets were lawful reporting.

Tidy-Harris said a senior officer later informed her solicitor that the force would not submit the case file to the Crown Prosecution Service and that she would not be charged. A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesperson said it would not be appropriate to comment further while enquiries continue and reiterated that the woman had not been arrested.

Tangye denies an allegation of non-violent harassment and is due to stand trial at Bodmin Magistrates Court in November, court records and local reporting show.

The case adds to ongoing debate in Britain about how police handle complaints about online content. Harassment, a summary offence in England and Wales, carries a six-month time limit for charges in some circumstances; campaigners and legal experts have raised concerns that delays in disclosure or investigation can compress decision-making timeframes. Sir Mark Rowley, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, recently said forces were frequently required to investigate online complaints that he described as petty, an observation that has prompted debate about resource allocation and free-speech implications.

Tidy-Harris said she would continue reporting on police matters and raised concerns about the potential chilling effect on journalists of criminal investigations prompted by factual social-media posts. The Devon and Cornwall Police statement said only that enquiries continue.

The matter is likely to remain under review by the force as the criminal proceedings against the former officer proceed. Observers and practitioners have told media outlets that balancing protection for victims of stalking and harassment with safeguards for lawful journalism and public-interest reporting remains a legal and operational challenge for police forces handling online complaints.