I walked from my solicitor’s office into the bright Plymouth sunshine, as she confidently assured me that she would hear from the police within a couple days.
asserted
she → walk → days
It was September 2025 and I had just attended an interview under caution with two officers.
asserted
I → attend → officers
From the moment I heard about it, I took the police investigation extremely seriously, instructing one of the best local criminal defence firms, known for representing people accused of offences ranging from burglary and drug importation to posting problematic tweets.
asserted
I → hear → tweets
Now, having done everything required of me, all I could do was wait for the police to do their part.
uncertain
police → do → part
Little did I know that it would be another 13 months before I learned the outcome of this investigation.
asserted
I → know → investigation
And even then, I discovered it by accident.
asserted
I → discover → accident
Last September, I wrote in the Mail about how I was being investigated for harassment over four X posts.
asserted
I → write → posts
The first was a factual update: 'Former Devon + Cornwall Police officer Harry Tangye has been charged with stalking and harassment after an investigation led by West Yorkshire Police.'
asserted
Tangye → charge → Police
As a journalist, I routinely share police news so that people find me on X and DM me their own stories, which I sell to media outlets.
asserted
I → share → outlets
The second tweet was equally mundane, as it simply quoted and linked to a Plymouth Live article about Tangye and his partner being arrested in Newquay.
asserted
Tangye → quote → Newquay
Then, in a conversation with another X user, I referred to the defendant by his initials and said I believed his 'bail had been extended to early May'.
uncertain
bail → refer → May
This bland remark was presented to me as the third piece of 'evidence'.
asserted
remark → present → evidence
I hadn't tagged or mentioned the complainant, and it's literally one of Cornwall's busiest beaches.
asserted
it → tag → beaches
The selfie Rebecca took with her daughter on the beach, which prompted police to investigate her for 'harassment'
asserted
which → take → harassment
Because this ex-copper lived nearby and claimed it made him feel 'fearful and distressed', someone in a position of authority at the force decided that the matter warranted a formal criminal investigation.
asserted
matter → live → investigation
So after being abruptly informed that a failure to attend a voluntary interview would lead to my arrest, I made the two-and-a-half-hour journey to Plymouth, where two police officers questioned me at my solicitor's office.
asserted
officers → inform → office
I sat silently while the PCs, diverted from the traditional business of keeping the city centre streets safe, questioned me about the apparently alarming acts of sharing local press articles and taking my daughter to the beach.
asserted
PCs → sit → beach
One might assume that the police would only reasonably need a day or so to review an interview under caution concerning four social media posts.
uncertain
police → assume → posts
Handily, I'd even saved them the trouble of listening to lengthy answers by providing a written statement instead.
asserted
I → save → statement
Yet the days turned into weeks, then those weeks turned into months, without a word on the outcome.
For 13 months, I continued to believe that I was under criminal investigation, with the possibility of a prosecution looming over me.
asserted
I → turn → me
Nobody joins the police dreaming of a career investigating tweets.
asserted
Nobody → join → tweets
I can imagine that my case was just another entry on a computer system to the officers dealing with it – and not a particularly exciting one.
asserted
case → imagine → it
Rebecca Tidy spent a year frantically saving to cover her potential legal bills and didn't put the heating on all winter
Every 28 days, my solicitor diligently asked the force for an update.
asserted
solicitor → spend → update
None came.
asserted
None → come → ?
But every day of uncertainty had practical consequences for my own life.
asserted
day → have → life
For thirteen months, this uncertainty shaped the decisions I made about money, work and our home.
asserted
I → shape → money
Most importantly, it affected the time and resources I could devote to my daughter, her education and wellbeing.
uncertain
I → affect → daughter
I knew the career consequences of a harassment conviction could be devastating.
uncertain
consequences → know → conviction
As a single mother, I’m well aware that there is no second wage to fall back on in our home.
asserted
I → ’m → home
Nobody else is going to pay my bills, feed my child or keep our household afloat if my income disappears.
asserted
income → go → household
So I did what any responsible parent would do and began saving for the possibility of a criminal prosecution.
asserted
parent → do → prosecution
Before my interview, several Cornish criminal defence solicitors quoted me between £350 and £650 an hour for preparation work.
asserted
solicitors → quote → work
I realised that by setting aside £1,000 a month, I would still only get two hours and 13 minutes of legal representation, based on an average hourly rate of £450.
asserted
I → realise → 450
A simple one-day trial with two days of preparation would cost over £10k on legal fees alone.
asserted
trial → cost → fees
Most harassment cases are heard in the Magistrates Court where you’re automatically ineligible for Legal Aid if your gross annual household income is £22,325 or more.
asserted
income → hear → Aid
I instantly culled all non-essential purchases including my monthly Mounjaro prescription, quarterly Botox top-up and lip filler.
asserted
I → cull → prescription
Haircuts and highlights went next.
asserted
Haircuts → go → ?
Then I swapped my beloved weekly Waitrose grocery shop for Lidl, whenever possible.
But as the months passed, it wasn't only me going without.*Mabel's clothes increasingly came from Vinted, bought second or third-hand.
asserted
clothes → swap → Vinted
I didn’t book our annual summer trip to Italy.
asserted
I → book → Italy
Every time I was about to spend money, I found myself thinking that I could be charged the following week and regret spending it.
uncertain
I → spend → it
…and 38 more, not listed.
The Aporia
