Thread by @tomholder

Can't say the recent Neil Coyle MP issue surprised me. Here is an incident that took place during LE2018 in Southwark, where Neil Coyle made some disgusting allegations against me on Twitter. I was running as Lib Dem local candidate in Rotherhithe, Southwark.

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The Rotherhithe Ward campaign between Southwark Labour and Southwark Lib Dems was heated. Back at the time I worked in *communications* for UAR, explaining biomedical research on behalf of universities, pharmaceuticals and medical research charities.

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A campaign against me, led by anonymous labour-backing twitter accounts was in full swing. I was accused of being a 'vivisector' who 'experiments on animals' (obviously untrue - given I work in communications).

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Sadly, things seemed close enough in the Rotherhithe ward election, that my local MP, Neil Coyle, tweeted this. For context:
- 'winning here' is a Lib Dem slogan
- Canada Estate /#SE16 is in Rotherhithe

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The apparent inference that one of the Lib Dem candidates would steal and experiment on locals' pets was ridiculous, but also false and libellous.

Later in this campaign, anonymous accounts would publish pictures of my house and publicise details of my housemates.

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After the election I complained to the Met Police Service, under Section 106 of the Representation of the People Act, 1983 which forbids making false statements in relation to electoral candidates. Neil Coyle was interviewed under caution.

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The police determined that "there were reasonable grounds for suspecting Mr Coyle's tweets had been an intentional reference to [me] and the false accusations circulating on twitter that [I was] a "vivisectionist". Mr Coyle denied everything during police interview (below)

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A believable denial? I'll leave that to you.

Am I surprised by recent allegations made against Neil Coyle? Not a bit.

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