Police accused of arrest blunder

A nominal well known to Greater Manchester Police, Raja Miah, 49, of Stamford Street, Mossley, Tameside has claimed, variously, on social media that he was arrested yesterday morning (27th April, 2023) at his home address at approximately 6.40am, as part of what he says is ‘a campaign to interfere with free and democratic local elections by the police’.

A notorious conspiracy theorist, he denies any wrongdoing and maintains that his relentless anti-Labour Party smear campaigns are legitimate political or civil rights activities.

These details of his arrest and detention, spelled out in an impromptu broadcast on Miah’s infamous, frequently banned Recusant Nine YouTube channel late last night, have been put to the force’s press office with a request to respond by 2pm today (28th April, 2023).

– Four or five officers attended at Raja Miah’s address to effect the arrest.

– His mobile phone and laptop computer were seized.

– He was taken to the custody suite at Central Park, Manchester.

– He was interviewed, commencing at approx 2pm, by two officers from Oldham District, a police constable and a detective constable, in the presence of his lawyer, Mohamed Patel of Garratts Solicitors.

– An allegation of a racially aggravated public order offence was put to Raja Miah in interview.

– He was shown one Twitter post which, objectively viewed, did not appear to disclose any criminal offence.

– An accelerated request for a charging decision from the CPS had already been made by GMP prior to the interview.

– GMP refused to provide details of the complainant saying it was ‘an anonymous complaint’.

– GMP refused to provide details of the officer who authorised his arrest.

– Raja Miah was released at approximately 8pm yesterday and told that there would be no further action taken against him.

– His mobile telephone and laptop computer were both returned to him.

– GMP has declined to arrest alleged perpetrators of ‘death threats’ made against Raja Miah and about which he had complained to GMP on 23rd, 24th and 25th April providing details of alleged perpetrators, whom Miah describes as ‘jihadists’, in the form of names and telephone numbers.

If these details of the arrest, and what followed, now put to GMP are confirmed as substantially correct, then, very obviously, this is an urgent matter of very significant public interest with seriously adverse reputational implications for the force.

A substantive statement from C/Supt Chris Bowen, Oldham District Police Commander, dealing with all the points raised has been requested. The force responded promptly to the press request but claimed they could not progress the matter without a crime incident log number. A matter about which they were quickly disabused.

It is also understood that C/Supt Bowen is currently part of a Gold Group tasked with assessing and dealing appropriately with what has been described as the darker corners of the internet in Oldham and Tameside. Confirmation of that operation, its code name and broad terms of reference has also been requested in the wider context of this matter.

Bradford-born Raja Miah is currently on both police and court conditional bail over malicious communication and harassment allegations respectively (read more here). He also is embroiled in a potentially life-changing defamation claim where he could face costs and damages approaching £200,000 if the matters in issue proceed to trial (read more here). In all cases, he denies wrongdoing.

It is understood that a third defamation claim against ‘The Beggar’, as he is widely known, is in the course of preparation and will be served on him in the near future.

A similar claim brought against both him and his close friend and political ally, Khazir Rehman (better known locally as ‘Kaiser’), ended disastrously for the latter when, in February 2023 he was ordered by the High Court in London to pay £197,500 in costs and damages. Miah had compromised the claim against him at an earlier stage by withdrawing offending material, making a public apology and a payment to Oldham Food Bank in the claimant’s name. At the heart of the dispute were appalling and entirely false claims that a pillar of the local community was involved in child sex offending (read more here).

This is plainly a story with more to come: Follow Neil Wilby on Twitter (here) and Neil Wilby Media on Facebook (here) for signposts to any updates.

Page last updated Friday 28th April, 2023 at 0810hrs

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