Police wanted LIST of Private Eye subscribers over satirical joke
POLICE demanded Private Eye hand over the name of subscribers in three counties after a joke was cut out of the magazine and sent to a force employee.
Private Eye editor Ian Hislop refused to hand over details of subscribers
Officers got in touch with magazine bosses after a Muslim woman, who is working for Hertfordshire Police in a civilian role, was sent a clipping in the internal mail.
The force asked the satirical magazine’s chiefs to hand over a list of all its subscribers in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
But its editor Ian Hislop refused leading the force to apply for a court order.
Ian Hislop: I won't give up fighting for the remain camp
The joke touched on Islamic terrorist meaning and was probed as a potentially racist offence under the Malicious Communications Act.
But Judge David Farrell QC, refused to allow the application to go ahead, even though it was reduced to just Hertfordshire at the Cambridge Crown Court hearing.
The police force was accused of taking a “shot in the dark”.
Ian Hislop makes hilarious Bake Off joke at Mel Giedroyc
Private Eye lawyers said its subscriber lists would not have helped as many of its 250,000 copies are sold in different stores.
Mr Hislop sad: “I was surprised when the police contacted us over this, really surprised when they insisted that they were serious and absolutely amazed when they went to court over it.
“What was not in the least surprising was that the judge threw the case out.”
A force spokeswoman added: “We will continue to investigate allegations of hate crime thoroughly using all of our available resources.”