A former editor broke down in the dock as he was found not guilty of sending an indecent message this afternoon.
Greg Hadfield, 69, denied sending the tweet, which asked Jewish campaigner Fiona Sharpe why she had not said anything about former Hove MP Ivor Caplin’s pornographic online activity.
The tweet included a screenshot of a young man with an erect penis which Mr Caplin had replied to.
After Ms Sharpe reported this and other tweets to police, the Crown Prosecution Service charged him with sending by public communication network an offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message on X.
District Judge Sam Goozée said: “There has been mention of alleged activities of Ivor Caplin. Such allegations are subject to police investigation. I make no finding with regard to that.
“Ivor Caplin’s associates have included Peter Kyle and Fiona Sharpe who are mentioned in Mr Hadfield’s posts.
“The tweet was reported by Fiona Sharpe to the police.
“Ivor Caplin has shared, liked and interacted with various posts showing explicit pornography.
“You, an experienced journalist over a 12 month period, became frustrated by the inaction of political colleagues and police.
“You were in essence a whistleblower and your tweet was in essence political or journalistic expression.
“The exhibit [the screengrab of Mr Hadfield’s tweet] is not a true or accurate representation – it’s a doctored or clipped image.
“It does not how that Ivor Caplin likes that particular image and posts a comment nor does it show the full thread you posted.
“Context is all important and context was missing from the prosecution exhibit.
“You are a journalist and are interested in the activities of former MP Ivor Caplin. You asking Fiona Sharpe who’s clearly associated with Ivor Caplin why she has not said something which may or may not have breached Labour Party principles or conduct.
“This was a single tweet in which you as a journalist were expressing frustration that the activities of a former MP were not being investigated.
“For that reason, I find you not guilty.”
Giving evidence this afternoon, Hadfield said he had first been alerted to Mr Caplin’s tweets by a family member.
He said he was particularly interested in Mr Caplin’s activities because he had been given sole responsibility for selecting Labour’s candidates for the 2023 city council election, which the party won by a landslide.
He said: “Ivor Caplin was following a lot of pornographic accounts. I wanted to make it known as widely as possible in the hope that the Labour Party would pick up on it.
I was first aware of Fiona Sharpe in 2018. I had seen her at a couple of meetings and didn’t engage with her.
When she became spokesperson for Labour Against Antisemitism. I noticed she kept referring to me as an antisemite in the press and online. No accusations have been found against me at all.”
He said she, Ivor Caplin and current Hove MP Peter Kyle worked together to get events he helped organise and they considered antisemitic cancelled.
He added: “News broke of his suspension in June 11, 2024. A newspaper article said it had nothing to do with his pornographic posts.
“[It was also reported that] a 65-year-old Hove man had been arrested for a sexual assault on a homeless man. I knew that that was Ivor Caplin.
“If only they had acted before this alleged assault. I can’t tell you how shocked I was when I saw that this is very serious and someone should look into it.
“I knew it was him, so I named him online.”
It was then that he sent the tweet to Ms Sharpe.
The court was also given four character references from journalists including Peter Oborne and Asa Winstanley.
In closing statements, prosecutor Richard Sampson said: “There may be some context but the crown says posting the image was not necessary to make the context.
“Mr Hadfield could have blurred the image. It’s simply that which steps over the line. It’s right to be a criminal matter because the public deserves to be protected in a public forum.
Defending, John Cooper KC said: “What Mr Hadfield was doing as a journalistic whistleblower was important and necessary.
“He was acting for the good of Brighton and the general community. This man is a asset, not a potential criminal.”
A victory for Artlcles 8 and 10 of the ECHR. I hope we can now look forward to Mr Hadfield’s persecutors being charged for wasting police time when they have real crimes they are supposed to be investigating.
A victory for what is right and against the false accusers. Well done Greg Hadfield.
Among other things, I note with interest that the article mentions ‘Jewish Campaigner’. Does this mean the person campaigns for jewish people or is actually jewish? It needs clarifying, imo.
Either way, how on earth does false accusation of antisemitism actually help jewish people exactly?
Here at least, it seems right has prevailed.
I think a full reading of the judge’s ruling sounds like the basis for an investigation of Ivor Caplin and his friends in the Labour party who may have been aware of his likes.