Shabana Mahmood has warned of a “dangerous undercurrent” surrounding commentary on the death of Henry Nowak after revealing that a police officer was forced to relocate for his own safety after being wrongly identified online.
The Justice Secretary used a statement in the Commons to condemn what she described as misinformation surrounding the case, saying an innocent officer had become the target of abuse and death threats despite having no involvement in the incident.
Ms Mahmood said the officer had been incorrectly linked to the case on social media, prompting a torrent of threats that ultimately led him to move home under police protection.
She said: “Let me also be clear about one other thing, a dangerous undercurrent that I have seen in the reaction to this awful crime.
“Threats against police officers are utterly unacceptable. There can be no justification for intimidation, abuse or attempts to take the law into one’s own hands.
“A police officer unrelated to this case has been misidentified online and subjected to death threats. He has been forced to relocate to protect himself and his family.
“Misinformation and inflammatory commentary is making a dreadful situation even worse.
“We must all together condemn it, and we must also allow the facts to be established to the appropriate investigations and the courts, and we must do so calmly and responsibly.”
Her intervention came as pressure continued to mount on the Government over the circumstances surrounding Mr...
Shabana Mahmood has warned of a “dangerous undercurrent” surrounding commentary on the death of Henry Nowak after revealing that a police officer was forced to relocate for his own safety after be...