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Book to come out after reporter's computers returned

A journalist will see her novel finally published after police returned two of her computers which they had previously seized.

Milton Keynes Citizen reporter Sally Murrer became embroiled in a now infamous lengthy legal battle with Thames Valley Police when it accused her of aiding and abetting misconduct in public office after a police officer allegedly leaked confidential information to her.

Some of her property, including her laptop and work computer, was seized and she was stripped searched and questioned by officers.

The charges were eventually dropped and her computers, which contained the only two electronic copies of the book, were returned meaning ‘According to Bella’ will be available for purchase from 25 March.

The fictional story is about a reporter with the Haybridge Gazette who attempts to solve a string of burglaries before a hot shot detective sent from the Met Police does so.

Ironically, the police officer doesn’t tell the reporter any of the information she is looking for.

Sally told journalism blogger Jon Slattery: “Because the main characters were a local newspaper journalist and a detective sergeant, bearing a striking similarity to my co-defendant Mark Kearney, they assumed it was evidence.

“Thus we assume Thames Valley police had to plough through all 94,000 words of it. Perhaps I ought to ask them to do a review.”

  • According to Bella is available to pre-order now from its publishers Book Guild.