Catholic journalist investigated by police after 'misgendering' daughter of trans rights campaigner

A Catholic Herald journalist contacted by police over allegedly "misgendering" the daughter of a trans rights campaigner has called the investigation into her a "public witch hunt".

Caroline Farrow, a mother of five, faces questioning by police after allegedly using the wrong pronoun in a Twitter exchange with Susie Green after the pair appeared together on Good Morning Britain last year. 

Mrs Farrow, a Catholic, believes that people cannot change sex and said on GMB that single sex spaces should be protected.

Mrs Green is the chair of trans campaign group Mermaids and mother of Jackie Green, who was born as a male called Jack before undergoing sex change surgery.

According to an ITV report, Mrs Green found Mrs Farrow's comments to be "distressing" and "spiteful".

Mrs Farrow says Surrey Police told her that she had "misgendered Susie Green's daughter" and that an investigation into her comments under the malicious communications act was "ongoing".   She also said she was asked to come in for a "taped interview" into the complaint. Mrs Farrow was invited to discuss the case with Green on the Victoria Derbyshire show on the BBC on Wednesday but said she declined because of the investigation.  "One of the reasons for declining. All I know is that I have allegedly misgendered. I have not been shown the offending tweets," she said.  

Hate crimes carry a sentence of up to two years in prison. 

Mrs Farrow said she could not remember posting offensive tweets about Mrs Green's daughter and insists she has done nothing wrong. 

"I have done nothing wrong, nothing illegal and will happily do jail time for my right to say that people cannot change sex," she said.

She added that her family had been harassed and that they had been the subject of "violent and sexual threats". 

"And the police do nothing," she said.