IT consultant arrested by British police after posing with shotgun on holiday in Florida for LinkedIn post

Jon Richelieu-Booth uploaded three images of himself with the weapon during a stay at a private property with friends in the US.

But when he arrived back in the UK in August, he was visited at his home by a police officer who warned him about concerns being raised over his account.

The 50-year-old was instructed to be careful, but claimed the pictures were taken in the US, where owning and shooting firearms are legal.

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A week later, on August 23, the officers returned and arrested him on suspicion of possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and another allegation of stalking related to a photograph of a house that appeared on his social media.

Mr Richelieu-Booth was held overnight in a cell before being interviewed and released on bail until October.

He claims police visited his home three more times before the charges against him were dropped.

Mr Richelieu-Booth, who claimed he was unable to work because his phone and computers were seized, described the police response as a "massive overreach."

He told the Telegraph: "Anybody should be allowed to say anything they wish, as long as it's not hateful.

"When did we go from a society where you can have a discussion with somebody and go 'You know what? I don’t like your opinion. I'm going to disagree with you, but I'm not going to tell you why, I'm going to call the police.

"When did we get so thin-skinned as a society?"

Mr Richelieu-Booth's story was shared by billionaire Elon Musk, who wrote: "And this is why we have the first and second amendments in America."

In October, Mr Richelieu-Booth was re-arrested for allegedly breaching his bail conditions but the charge was later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.

He was then charged with a public order offence over a separate social media post. That charge was also later dropped.

West Yorkshire Police did not confirm which social media post prompted the charge. He was also due to appear in court on November 25, charged with causing alarm or distress. That charge was also later dropped by the CPS."