Police investigate Katie Hopkins over Ebola tweet
Katie Hopkins at Politicon at Pasadena Convention Center on July 29, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Joshua Blanchard/Getty for Politicon)
Police Scotland are making inquiries following complaints over a Twitter outburst about Ebola from controversial TV personality Katie Hopkins.
Hopkins was berated online after she wrote on the site about “little sweaty jocks”, adding: “Sending us Ebola bombs in the form of sweaty Glaswegians just isn’t cricket.”
In a separate message, she tweeted: “Glaswegian ebola patient moved to London’s Royal Free Hospital. Not so independent when it matters most are we jocksville?”
Police Scotland confirmed they are looking into complaints they have received but they did not reveal how many had been made.
Detective Inspector Glyn Roberts said: “We have received a number of complaints regarding remarks made on Twitter. Inquiries are ongoing into the nature of these tweets and to establish any potential criminality.
“Police Scotland will thoroughly investigate any reports of offensive or criminal behaviour online and anyone found to be responsible will be robustly dealt with.”
Hopkins is no stranger to making offensive remarks. In December 2013 she described Tom Daley as an “irritating twerp”, suggesting it was his own fault that he had been bullied at school.
During this year’s run of The Apprentice, Hopkins suggested contestants Sanjay Sood-Smith and Bianca Miller had previously avoided being fired in the boardroom by Lord Sugar because of their respective sexual orientation and race.
Sanjay replied: “The implication that the decision not to fire me and Bianca due to diversity criteria really shocked me and I find it really disappointing that someone in a position of influence such as her perpetuates these out of date attitudes.”
Kate Hopkins has also been accused of committing a hate crime against overweight people.
The controversial TV star was reported by a woman belonging to a “fat activist” group during filming for her new programme on TLC, in which she gains and loses three stone in six months.
Hopkins was accused of the crime when she met up with the group of five women in London who all work independently as plus-size activists or diet bloggers, so that she could hear opposing views on her claims that “fat people are lazy”.
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