UK's first youth crime commissioner quits over tweets
LONDON — Britain's first youth crime commissioner quit on Tuesday a week after her appointment following a row over offensive messages she had posted on Twitter.
Paris Brown, 17, had become embroiled in a media storm over the messages written between the ages of 14 and 16, which included terms such as "fag" and "pikey" as well as a reference to craving hash brownies.
Brown told a press conference in Maidstone, Kent, that she had "taken the decision to decline the offer of the position", adding: "I am truly sorry for any offence I have caused."
She had been picked from among 164 candidates for the £15,000-a-year position by local Crime Commissioner Ann Barnes in a bid to forge links between young people and the police.
But the Mail on Sunday then unearthed her past tweets, which included "I really wanna make a batch of hash brownies" and "Been drinking since half 1 and riding baby walkers down the hall at work oh my god I have the best job ever haha!!"
She had also praised her brother for punching someone, and said that people on the TV show Made in Chelsea looked like "fags".
The tweets have since been deleted.
On Tuesday she said, "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."
(continued, learn the power of delete...?)
