Youth Crime Commissioner Resigns Over Tweets

Less than a week after the appointment was announced, Britian’s first youth crime commissioner has resigned over a row about her Twitter postings.

17-year-old Paris Brown, from Sheerness in Kent, said she was resigning from her post after it was announced police were investigating whether posts she made on Twitter amounted to a criminal offence.

Concerns had been raised after critics claimed her posts were racist, homophobic and condoned violence and drug taking.

It is understood that Brown has claimed bravado led her to make the statements online and has asked to be left alone now that she has stood down.

In a statement, Brown said: "I accept that I have made comments on social networking sites which have offended many people. I am really sorry for any offence caused.

"I strongly reiterate that I am not racist or homophobic. I have fallen into the trap of behaving with bravado on social networking sites. I hope this may stand as a learning experience for many other young people.

"I now feel that in the interests of everyone concerned – in particular the young people of Kent who I feel will benefit enormously from the role of a youth commissioner – that I should stand down as I feel that the recent media furore will continue and hamper my ability to perform the job to the level required.

"I ask for the time and space to recover from what has been a very difficult time and to allow me to move on."

It is understood that Brown had been vetted for the role using “normal police standards”, but that this did not involve the teenagers social media contributions.

The tweets, posted when Brown was aged 14 to 16, have now been deleted from her Twitter account.

(H/CD)