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Youth crime commissioner Paris Brown stands down over Twitter row Youth crime commissioner Paris Brown stands down over Twitter row
(35 minutes later)
Britain's first youth crime commissioner has said she is "truly sorry for any offence" caused as she stood down from her role following messages she wrote on Twitter. Britain's first youth crime commissioner resigned from the £15,000-a-year post today, less than a week after her appointment was announced because of a row over her Twitter postings.
Paris Brown, 17, from Sheerness, Kent, was appointed to the £15,000-a-year post only last week. Paris Brown, 17, from Sheerness in Kent, said bravado had led to her statements on Twitter, which had offended many people. She said she was resigning from her post as the youth police and crime commissioner for Kent after police announced they were investigating whether her comments amounted to a criminal offence.
Speaking at a press conference in Maidstone, Kent, Brown said she had "taken the decision to decline the offer of the position" as she felt recent media attention would affect her ability to carry out the job. Critics claimed the comments were racist, homophobic and condoned violence and drug-taking. Brown pleaded to be left alone now that she was standing down.
She added: "I am truly sorry for any offence I have caused." Ann Barnes, the police and crime commissioner for Kent, admitted the tweets of her chief youth aide had not been vetted before the appointment, but said the role, which had been one of her main manifesto commitments, was a good idea and she would look for another candidate.
Brown said: "I have made the decision to decline the offer of the position of Kent youth police and crime commissioner. 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 have made this decision after a great deal of thought and consultation with my family.
"As I made clear over the weekend, 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 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 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 would like to thank those people who have sent messages of support and understanding. "I ask for the time and space to recover from what has been a very difficult time and to allow me to move on."
"I wish the commissioner, Kent police and the person eventually appointed to this role every success. The tweets, posted when Brown was aged 14 to 16, have now been deleted from her Twitter account.
"Finally, I ask for the time and space to recover from what has been a very difficult time and to allow me to move on." Barnes said the idea of a youth crime commissioner was a good one "to reduce the gap between younger people and the authorities, particularly the police".
Kent's police and crime commissioner, Ann Barnes, said: "It is a very, very sad day." Barnes said: "I was not recruiting an angel, and I was not recruiting a police officer. I was recruiting a young person, warts and all. I think it would have been absolutely impossible to have found a young person who had not made a silly, foolish or even perhaps a deeply offensive comment during their short lifetime.
Brown was "an extraordinary young person with exceptional skills and a proven track record with working with young people" who has "turned down the position of a lifetime", according to Barnes. "I'm sure everyone has said or written something they regret – I certainly have. Unfortunately, today we live in an internet world where many people air their views in the public domain."
"I was not recruiting an angel. I was not recruiting a police officer. I was recruiting a young person, warts and all," she said. Barnes praised Brown as "an extraordinary young person with exceptional skills and a proven track record with working with young people" who had "turned down the position of a lifetime".
"It is personally sad for Paris and her family. An enthusiastic young woman with exceptional skills and a proven track record in working with young people has ended up in a position where she has turned down the job of a lifetime for her. The vetting of Brown had followed normal police procedures, Barnes said, but had not covered the teenager's social media contributions: "We used Kent police's vetting procedures, which do not normally involve scrutiny of social networks for this grade of post."
"At this early stage in my comments, I would like to say that Paris and her family have requested to be here today. That in itself shows the degree of her moral courage in facing up to the circumstances of the last few days and is a reflection on her true character." Barnes, who said she would not be quitting her role as police and crime commissioner, said Brown had impressed the interview panel, which included a former chief constable and a serving officer: "We worked with the best of intentions but, sadly on this occasion, it hasn't worked out."
Kent police is investigating the apparently violent, anti-gay and racist social media messages written by Brown between the ages of 14 and 16. Barnes said the media should not put intolerable pressure on the 17-year-old, whom she praised for facing the cameras after the furore broke: "It is their job to break stories. However, particularly in the shadow of Leveson [the report into media abuses], I do not believe it is their job to break people – particularly when they as young as Paris."
The force said complaints have been made and that it was making inquiries before deciding whether any offences were committed. Brown works for Swale borough council as an apprentice within the commissioning and open spaces department.
Brown has denied being homophobic, racist or violent, and has since deleted the tweets. Barnes is now advertising for a chief of staff. Applicants may be wise to check their social media writings before applying.
Barnes came to the teenager's defence, stressing that her recruitment to the position was not a gimmick.
Barnes, 67, who was to pay £5,000 of Brown's salary from her own pay, previously said she does not condone the nature of the Twitter messages but asked for some perspective given Brown's age.
The teenager was one of 164 applicants for the job, intended to provide young people's views on policing, and she was the best one and a "confident and articulate woman", she said.
The teenager's personal Twitter account was not vetted before the recruitment, Barnes admitted.
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