A 16-year-old autistic girl who was arrested after being accused of making a homophobic comment to a police officer will face no further action.
The teenager was detained by seven police officers outside her home in Leeds in the early hours of 7 August.
Her mother, who uploaded footage of the incident to TikTok, said alongside the video that her autistic daughter had told her an officer “looked like her nana, who is a lesbian”.
West Yorkshire Police said it will “take on board any lessons to be learned” after the force was heavily criticised on social media.
In a statement released on Friday, it said: “In relation to an incident in Leeds on Monday, where a 16-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of a homophobic public order offence, West Yorkshire Police has now reviewed the evidence and made the decision to take no further action.
“This concludes the criminal investigation and immediately releases the girl from her bail. Her family has been updated.
“West Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Directorate is continuing to carry out a review of the circumstances after receiving a complaint in relation to the incident.”
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Assistant Chief Constable Oz Khan said the force recognises “the significant level of public concern that this incident has generated” and said officers “moved swiftly” to review the evidence.
“Without pre-empting the outcome of the ongoing review of the circumstances by our Professional Standards Directorate, we would like to reassure people that we will take on board any lessons to be learned from this incident.
“We do appreciate the understandable sensitivities around incidents involving young people and neurodiversity and we are genuinely committed to developing how we respond to these often very challenging situations.”
