Police had councillor's fingerprints on hate mail - but dropped case
Liverpool councillor Gerard Woodhouse was convicted of a persistent hate mail campaign against a former colleague after police failed to act on earlier fingerprint evidence. The investigation into the initial incident was dropped due to communication issues, allowing the harassment to continue.
Why it matters
The case highlights potential failures in police investigative procedures and the consequences of missed opportunities to intervene in criminal harassment cases.
Image caption, Gerard Woodhouse was convicted in 2025 of sending up to 100 offensive, anonymous cards to a former Labour Party colleague
Police had fingerprint evidence linking a high-profile councillor to a poison pen letter up to 12 months before he went on to target another politician in a "persistent and wicked" hate mail campaign.
Well-known Liverpool anti-poverty campaigner Gerard Woodhoue, 63, was given a community order last year for harassing ex-Lord Mayor Christine Banks – who he had known for 50 years – with anonymous letters and cards in the post between 2023 and 2025.
But the BBC has learned that although an investigation that pre-dated his hate campaign against Labour colleague Banks yielded fingerprint evidence from a letter sent to a housing association boss, the inquiry was stood down because officers were "unable to establish contact" with the alleged victim after she left her job.
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