British IT Consultant Arrested Over LinkedIn Gun Photos From Florida Trip; Charges Later Dropped

British IT Consultant Says He Was Arrested After Posting Gun Photos From July 4 Trip

Jon Richelieu-Booth, a British IT consultant and director of Phoenix Evolution Consulting, says he was arrested after sharing LinkedIn photos showing him handling firearms during a July 4 trip to Florida. Richelieu-Booth told Fox News Digital the episode began when friends invited him, as a Brit who had never handled guns before, to try shooting for the first time while celebrating his 50th birthday.

After returning to the U.K., he uploaded a series of images to LinkedIn. Within a day or two, he said police visited his home to inform him that someone had complained about the posts and to warn him about his online activity. Approximately 10 days later, Richelieu-Booth says police returned late in the evening, forced entry at about 10:30 p.m., and arrested him.

Arrests, Charges, and the Underlying Dispute

Authorities told him the arrest related to the firearm photos and a separate social-media post that they alleged amounted to "stalking and harassment." He was questioned and held overnight before being released. About seven weeks later, Richelieu-Booth says he was arrested again on an allegation of breaching bail — an arrest he attributes to a separate complaint tied to a dispute with a former client over unpaid work.

Richelieu-Booth explained that a business partner had photographed the former client’s home while delivering a final demand notice from a public area; that image later became his LinkedIn banner to prompt the client to respond. He maintains there was no geolocation data linking him to the address.

Prosecution Dropped and Official Response

He said a public order charge related to an August post — which police said could cause "harassment, fear, alarm and distress" — and the earlier allegations were later discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson confirmed officers received a complaint alleging serious alarm or distress related in part to social-media posts, including photographs of a man posing with firearms that the complainant perceived as threatening. The force said it investigated and charged a man with a public order offense before the CPS discontinued the case.

Richelieu-Booth: "Free speech in the UK? That doesn't exist. People are getting locked up for tweets, for memes. It's George Orwell, it's '1984.'"

Personal and Professional Impact

Richelieu-Booth described significant professional and personal consequences: he deactivated his LinkedIn account (losing access to a LinkedIn Premium trial he used to find clients), paused a Teams show he runs for contractors, and withdrew from networking. He said the ordeal left him ashamed, ostracised, and fearful, and that he contemplated suicide.

He is considering legal action against West Yorkshire Police and says he is seriously weighing relocating to the United States, citing personal ties there and his belief that U.S. constitutional protections offer more freedom regarding speech and firearms.

Media Reaction

The story gained wider attention after it was first reported by the Yorkshire Post and picked up internationally. Elon Musk posted on X in response, writing: "This is why we have the First and Second Amendments in America." Fox News Digital reported the account and said it contacted the Crown Prosecution Service for comment.

Note: All allegations described above reflect Richelieu-Booth's account and the statements released by West Yorkshire Police; the CPS later discontinued the related public order prosecution.