The Police and The Press &How they feed off each other

It’s no secret that the police and the press need each other. In simple terms, the police make the kill and the vultures of the press pick at the corps.

In my case PC Aaron Walker of Thames Valley Police set about punishing me for reporting him to TVP professional Standards for not returning my property, so he made it his business to write a press release and supply it to the TVP press office. Thankfully for me and him the staff at the press office watered it down, but it still remained a complete false account of what happened, designed to cause maximum damage to me, and be released on the day I was sentenced.

This press release made it way into five regional newspapers, headlining in two. Two reginal radio stations that used it in their hourly news bulletins. More publicity than a local murder gets!

One local busy body who had set herself up as the official news reporter for the town I lived in was Sonia Frances of Thame.net a local online news site, that she run solely on her own. Sonia could regularly been seen hopping around town gathering news on the Town Council meeting etc. Once PC Aaron Walker's press release hit the news, Sonia was on it like a shot. Going into detail about my politics and even putting up a photo of me for good measure.

When I received an official apology from TVP for PC Aaron Walker's liable press release, I issued my own press release and a few of the vultures in the press who had, had a field day previously, printed it in their publication. Eventually so did Sonia Frances at Thame.net, but only in part. I used the comment section below the Sonia’s report to point out that some key points of my press release had been left out. Within seconds a comment was posted by a man with the same name as her husband. (What’s the chances of that?) (They have since been removed, but I have copies) It stated that I was a coward and my photo being used would warn other women about me. I would call that personal and completely unprofessional journalism at any level.

SONIA FRANCES

There was history between this delightful women above and me going back a few years when my business used to advertise on her news website "Thame.net" (now in new ownership). My business advertising with Sonia’s news website never showed any return for the revenue, so we pulled it. In the few chats we had over the previous years, she had made it clear to me that we were miles apart politically. At that time, Sonia was a dedicated supporter of Jeremy Corbin’s labour Party. She now supports the Green Party and is a very keen supporter of Extinction Rebellion.

Sonia Frances is now retired and living in Shillingford Devon