Police Drop Case Against Councillor Linked to Hate Mail

Gerard Woodhouse, a Liverpool councillor known for his anti-poverty efforts, was linked to a series of offensive letters sent to a former Labour Party colleague. The police had fingerprint evidence connecting him to a poison pen letter sent to a housing association executive prior to his harassment of Christine Banks, which occurred between 2023 and 2025.

Despite reopening the investigation earlier this year, Merseyside Police have decided to drop the case against Woodhouse as the statute of limitations for harassment allegations had expired. The initial investigation was halted when officers could not contact the alleged victim, Julie Fadden, after she left her job.

Fadden expressed disappointment over the missed opportunity to prosecute Woodhouse, suggesting that timely action might have prevented his subsequent harassment of Banks. The police acknowledged that while they had identified a suspect through fingerprint analysis, they could not proceed with harassment charges due to the time limit.