After complaining on a WhatsApp group chat for parents about the conditions of their children's school, two British parents were arrested in front of their 3-year-old daughter, British publication The Times reported.

The arrests occurred after Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine raised concerns about the head teacher recruitment process at Cowley Hill Primary School in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, in May 2024.

The next month, the school's chair of governors, Jackie Spriggs, wrote to the parents about making "inflammatory and defamatory" comments on social media, warning the school would act against anyone who caused "disharmony."

The warning sparked reactions in the parents' group.

"Can you imagine what the 'action' is," Levine wrote to parents in the group, mocking the threat. "'Hello 999, one of the school mums said something mean about me in a school mum WhatsApp group. Please can you arrest them?'"

Following months of correspondence, including emails about their 9-year-old daughter Sascha's medical and educational needs, the couple was banned from school premises. On Jan. 29, six police officers arrived at their home, arresting Allen and Levine on suspicion of harassment, malicious communications, and causing a nuisance on school property.

The couple was detained for eight hours, fingerprinted, and searched while their 3-year-old daughter, Francesca, watched from the hallway. After a five-week investigation, police concluded there was insufficient evidence for further action.

"At no point were we given a smoking gun — the email or comment that formed the basis of this. The reason they haven't given it is because it doesn't exist," Allen said.

The British police defended the arrests, saying the number of officers was justified to care for any children present. And the school said it sought police "advice" due to a "high volume of direct correspondence and public social media posts from two parents, as this was becoming upsetting for staff, parents, and governors."

Neither the police nor the school provided specific examples of the alleged offending communications.

• In Europe Growing Calls for Musk to Be Arrested
• Macron: France, UK Propose Peace Plan, 1-Month Truce