Ex-Britain First leader arrested in HMO attacks investigation

Published1 hour ago

The former co-leader of the far-right Britain First party has said she was arrested as part of an investigation into attacks on houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

In a post on X, Ashlea Simon said she had been held at Manchester Airport after "returning from a family holiday".

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said a 37-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of "conspiracy to cause criminal damage", following a spate of incidents in which HMOs were vandalised across the Greater Manchester region.

Simon, who said in her post that she "hasn't committed a crime in her life", was approached for comment by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

In the post, Simon said she believed the arrest was linked to a series of videos she has made since July.

In them, she claimed to identify several HMOs in her hometown of Walkden, Salford.

In a previous video shared by Simon in recent days, she said police had "raided" her home while she was on holiday and she was aware of an "arrest warrant".

Simon left Britain First two years ago, and is now the leader of a "pro-English" activism group.

The news of her arrest came amid a major investigation into a number of vandalism attacks across Salford, Tameside, and Stockport.

Police are investigating about 50 incidents in which HMOs and family homes have been vandalised and cars targeted.

In one incident, a pig's head was left outside a home.

Five men have been arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage and conspiracy to cause criminal damage as part of the investigation, along with a 13-year-old boy.

On Friday, Ch Supt Marcus Noden said officers "suspect vulnerable people are being exploited and paid to damage buildings they believe are HMOs".

"Some of those being exploited are believed to be children and this is just one line of enquiry that we are pursuing," he added.

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