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Humberside Police questioned a man for more than half an hour after he liked a Twitter post which was appearing to mock the transgender community.

Harry Miller said the formal investigation by the force was into his "thinking" and his reasons for liking the tweet, which was a limerick.

The former policeman said he faced 34 minutes of phone questions from a police constable after liking the post. The officer, Mr Miller claims, told him he was investigating a report of "hate speech" after an unnamed complainant contacted the force, reports Grimsby Live.

He spoke out about the probe on his own Twitter page and said: "Cop said he was in possession of 30 tweets by me. I asked if any contained criminal material. He said...No.

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"I asked if any came close to being criminal...and he read me a limerick. Honestly. A limerick. A cop read me a limerick over the phone."

After telling the PC he did not write it, he reportedly said: "Ah. But you liked it and promoted it. It's not a crime, but it will be recorded as a hate incident."

Mr Miller said he does not live or work in the Humberside area and told how the conversation turned "incredibly sinister" as the officer tried to probe his "thinking."

He said: "The cop told me that he needed to speak with me because, even though I'd committed no crime whatsoever, he needed (and I quote) 'to check my THINKING!' Seriously. Honestly.

"Finally, he lectured me. Said, 'Sometimes, a woman's brain grows a man's body in the womb and that is what transgender is.' You can imagine my response...

"Lastly, he told me that I needed to watch my words more carefully or I was at risk of being sacked by the company for hate speech."



(Image: Scunthorpe Live)

Mr Miller later told The Spectator the incident made him feel like a "criminal" - so much so he has now changed his Twitter username to Harry The Owl - Limerick Criminal.

He said: "I just find this all unbelievable and sinister. I've broken no law, the police don't suggest that I've done anything illegal.

"But here they are, investigating me for tweeting a limerick. It's mad, completely mad."

The incident has sparked his Twitter supporters to write a string of limericks and even the Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside, Keith Hunter, has got involved.

A Pauline M Barten wrote: "If you want to fill your arrest sheet, and no go out on the beat, make limericks a crime, spending your time, collaring folk for a tweet."

Keith Hunter said: "The force has provided an explanation. I think it was a reasonably proportionate response to a report, following national guidance on such issues. U r of course permitted to disagree."

Mr Miller, who believes "trans women are not women", is determined to continue sharing his views.

He said: "Free speech is a hill that we have to fight on.

"If we can't express ourselves freely within the law, none of the other rights we have mean anything."

A spokesman for Humberside Police said: "We take all reports of hate incident seriously and will always investigate and take proportionate action."

The limerick that was reported to the police

The limerick which was liked by Mr Miller and which was subsequently reported to Humberside Police, said:

"You're a man.

"You're breasts are made of silicone

"Your vagina goes nowhere

"And we can tell the difference

"Even when you are not there

"Your hormones are synthetic

"And lets just cross this bridge

"What you have you stupid man

"Is male privilege."

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