Hiya everyone,
I’m back to update you all on this crazy journey I’m on. It’s been tough, but I’m more determined than ever to stand up for free speech and make sure women’s voices aren’t silenced.
Back in December 2023, West Yorkshire Police arrested me for what they called “harassment”. It was about three things: an interview I did on GB News, a speech I gave at the Let Women Speak event in Leeds on 18 November 2023, and an unrecorded four hour X Live Space chat on 8 December 2023 hosted by The Famous Artist Birdy Rose. When they questioned me, they couldn’t point to anything specific I said that was against the law. In the end they said I hadn’t committed any crimes, there would be no further action, and closed the case. I thought that was the end of it.
Then on 12 May 2025, I got a shock. I saw posts on X and Facebook saying I was facing criminal charges for allegedly breaching a non-molestation order that had already expired in February 2024. These charges carry a potential punishment of up to five years in prison.
This order was granted to a trans activist without me even knowing about it, no hearing, no chance to explain my side, nothing. At the time, this person was under police investigation and had bail conditions prohibiting contact with me due to months of online abuse, complaints to my workplace, and even tracking down my old address and showing up on my doorstep, which was utterly terrifying.
After that incident the police did a DASH assessment, gave me a high risk score and a MARAC referral. My old address was flagged for priority emergency response, security cameras and window alarms were installed. I was assigned a Victim Support worker and placed on an emergency housing list. They even told me to get my own non-molestation order to keep this person away from the property, which I did. But his behaviour didn’t stop, it just got worse.
Despite the ongoing police investigation and bail conditions prohibiting contact with me, a family court soon granted him a non-molestation order against me, issued ex parte without my presence, a hearing, or any review of his history. The court’s decision gave him a tool to have me arrested whenever he wanted, without a warrant or clear reason, turning things around to make me look like the aggressor.
This order wasn’t about protecting him, it was about control. After getting it, his harassment escalated. He monitored my public appearances, including interviews, podcasts, and social media posts, screen recording everything to report to the police as a potential breach, often complaining about my so called ‘anti trans’ views.
Finding out about the charges through social media from trans activists with a known agenda against me felt like a slap in the face, especially since I was not formally notified by police until a week later. The letter I got from the police was really vague, with no clear details about what I supposedly said to break the expired order. It just pushed me to plead guilty for a lighter punishment, which felt like they were trying to scare me into admitting something without clear evidence.
The weeks before my plea hearing at Leeds Magistrates’ Court were exhausting. Just minutes before the hearing I was handed the prosecution’s case summary, which lacked specifics about the alleged offending words or evidence to review. My solicitor had little time to grasp the complexities of my case, leaving me wondering how anyone could mount a proper defence under such conditions. I was sitting in the waiting room next to people facing serious charges, like armed robbery, and there I was, dealing with accusations over words no one could clearly pin down. It felt so unreal.
In the courtroom, it was cold and intimidating. I’d never been in trouble before, and the whole setup seemed designed to make you feel terrified. The prosecution pointed to one line from my Let Women Speak speech, at 1 minute 21, where I said I was being stalked and threatened, mentioned getting a court injunction, and noted a police investigation. That’s what they’re basing the charges on. I pleaded not guilty because I believe I have the right to speak out, and I’m not backing down.
The prosecution also tried to impose bail conditions to stop me from speaking about my case publicly, while trans activists with a known agenda against me, had already spread the charges online weeks earlier with no consequences. But thankfully, the judge didn’t impose those restrictions. However I’m still being cautious about what I post on social media, because I respect the legal process and don’t want to do or say anything that could be twisted against me.
Going through this on my own as a woman has been tough, and it’s been a real eye-opener to see how systems meant to keep women and children safe are being twisted to shut people like me up. My case isn’t just about me it’s part of a bigger, frightening pattern where vague charges about what we say are used to silence women, especially when we speak up about our rights, our safety, or men invading our spaces.
It’s infuriating that taxpayers’ money is being wasted on dragging a single line from my Let Women Speak speech through the courts, while police and court time is pulled away from helping women and children facing real horrors like domestic abuse, violence, rape, or grooming gangs. This messed-up focus leaves so many women without the protection they need, showing how the system seems to care more about silencing us than saving lives. The fact that legal abuse is becoming normal to target women’s voices while calls to hurt us go ignored, is a massive injustice.
It’s so confusing that my 2023 speech, which the police originally said was fine and closed the case on, is now being treated as a crime in 2025, with a possible five-year prison sentence looming. Waiting years for a trial, maybe not until 2026 or 2027, makes me feel like this whole process is designed to wear me down. The constant uncertainty is exhausting, and it’s hard to shake the feeling that the system’s punishing me for speaking out before I even get my day in court. With a pre-trial hearing set for Leeds Crown Court on 24 July 2025, this whole situation just feels overwhelming to think about.
This week’s High Court ruling against Northumbria Police, won by the brilliant Linzi Smith with Fair Cop’s support, proves why this fight matters so much. The judge ruled that police marching in Pride events and displaying trans flags breached their duty to stay impartial, especially when policing matters of sex and free speech.
This hits close to home for me. Like Linzi, who was hounded for her gender-critical tweets, banned from Newcastle United matches, and left terrified by death threats with no police action, I’m being targeted for speaking out. I’m facing charges over a speech about my experiences, while the person who harassed me walks free. The ruling shows how police can pick sides, undermining trust and silencing women who defend fundamental women’s rights. This victory gives me hope that fairness can prevail and it’s why I’m more determined than ever to keep going.
As always, this is my personal account and is not intended to influence legal proceedings or target anyone. Please don’t seek out, contact or bother anyone involved in this case. Let’s keep this about truth and justice, not drama.
Thanks for standing by me. I’ll keep you posted as things move forward.
Louise
XX
If you’d like to support me in this fight for free speech and women’s rights, please consider buying me a coffee at https://buymeacoffee.com/louisedistras. Your support means the world and helps me keep going!
Wait, so your crime is hurty words but they wont tell you what the hurty words are? That’s INSANE.
Awful. Have you joined the Free Speech Union? Everybody should.