Hi
I am glad things are moving for you.
re: 

 all of the exception of the HP silver laptop that they stole

Respectfully I say this is an incorrect statement which only fuels your frustration and therefore not allowing you to start moving on.

It is hard to hear someone say "just move on" but those words are not telling you to forget the affects that this process has had on you. By controlling your emotions you will interact with them better but most importantly, ensure you do not do actions that placed you under suspicion.

Keep calm and importantly be happy.

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope is for tomorrow else what is left if you remove a mans hope.

They're claiming they found some images that they're not quite sure of whether or not they constitute an offence and have sent the laptop to a specialist team to have it checked out within 90 days. I'm shocked and angry and saddened by this all because it's dragging out unnecessarily and they're doing every attempt to make this difficult for me to get my stuff back. As far as I'm aware, I've done nothing illegal on that laptop, never searched or looked at any cp or anything of the sort. But I have looked at adult porn which I know isn't illegal.

I'm anxious about this whole ordeal and mostly frustrated. Tomorrow I'm collecting my phone and everything else apart from the laptop.

Thing is though if they really thought I was a pedo, why the hell would they give me back my phone? Just doesn't make sense to me. In these situations, if they accuse you of being a pedo and you're under investigation, they obviously wouldn't let me have any devices for that matter if it involves images and would probably take any electronic device that stores data that they can get their hands on. Anyone reading, correct me if I'm wrong on this. My Dad reckons because they fucked up that they're doing this for the sake of having a little bit of power over me because they are salty about getting it wrong the first time when I was wrongfully arrested by them.

Well, what your father says is a possibility. In terms of returning your stuff, if they find no evidence, they have to give it back. If they claim they may have evidence, they have to investigate further. That's what they do, and they are obviously saying that is what is going in here. Whether it is true or not is another matter, but if they are trying to get a bit of revenge  by getting a rise out of you, it seems to be working

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If you are to punish a man retributively you must injure him. If you are to reform him you must improve him. And men are not improved by injuries. (George Bernard Shaw)

It sounds perfectly logical to me. They checked all the other devices, including the phone, and found nothing on them, so they have returned them. It doesn't follow, that because they found images on one device, that they would refuse to return them all. The ones without anything on, are no use to them as evidence. If they did actually think you were at risk of committing new offences, they would go for a court order, to prevent you from using any electronic devices, while they did more investigation.

The problem with images, is that the lowest category (Cat C), is so wide ranging, that it can include lots of things, which most of us would not think of as being cp. There are many grey areas. That is why they are referring it to somebody, who specialises in grading these types of images.

Yes but they said they didn't know whether or not the images that they found constitute a criminal offense or not.

As far I'm aware, I've done nothing illegal on that laptop.

It doesn't sound logical at all. They're a bunch of thieving pigs because of my terrible experience with them I've had to get counselling through IAPT for possible symptoms of PTSD, depression and anixety.

If they thought I was a danger to children why would they give me my phone back?

Why would they wait months and months still analysing the laptop and not make an arrest?

We're getting close to the 90 day mark and it would be more than enough time for them and their specialist team to examine the laptop since they're claiming they found images on it. Baffles me how they claim they found images and wont specify what they are and neither will they give me a definite answer. They said themselves that they weren't too sure about these images because they cannot determine whether or not they constitute a criminal offence. They said they were unsure, this shit was all the way back in January. 


I'm honestly getting sick and tired of going though this and it's been so bad I lose my temper easily and punch walls.

Hi
First, focus on your self to manage what is a stressful time which you have no control over.
Second unless their words are in writing they are meaningless and may only been said to create a stressful and emotional time for you - hence first point.

In some ways it is understandable the way you are feeling but maintain your self belief, so put aside the delusion you have control or can gain sympathy from or understand the logic of the investigation as it is just a delusion - sorry. 
My words are not meant to sound disrespectful to you or what you are going through. Please read them so you can step back at look at how your feelings are hurting you more than they are.

Be strong and focused and you will survive whatever the outcome. 



Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope is for tomorrow else what is left if you remove a mans hope.

I can understand your frustration, But getting angry and punching walls isn't just bad for you but for everyone else around you. The Police are simply doing this because they can and are trying to break you, don't let them. Live life as normal as you can until you are either charged for something or cleared. Then you can challenge the charge or potentially make a claim against the police for all that they have done. Of course I am no legal expert so what ever happens be sure to get a good solicitor if you can and make sure everything is documented

Be safe

I get that it is frustrating and we have all been there, in terms of waiting for the police to return devices.

I agree that it should not take 90 days to examine a laptop and it wouldn't, if the police were looking at it every single day. But that isn't what is happening. Your device is sitting in an evidence room, in a police station somewhere and most likely nobody is looking at it at all. There is a very long queue of devices waiting to be forensically examined.

Your laptop is not the only one the police have to analyse. It is one of hundreds, that the police want to examine and there are hundreds of other people, just like you, who are waiting to get their devices back. Your laptop has already been through the queue once and you are unlucky, because it is now back in that queue for a second time.

I agree with Dan, that the best thing you can do, is get on with your life. Buy another laptop and try to forget about it.

But if you want to do something, my advice would be to make a nuisance of yourself. Write to your MP, or to the Chief Constable. Ring the police station once every day and ask to speak to the officer in charge of your case (oic), or better still, go down to the police station every day and ask to speak to the oic in person.

The first few times that you do this, the police will try to fob you off with excuses. They will tell you that the oic is going to ring you and then the oic won't ring. Don't let this put you off though. If you go down to the police station, they may tell you that the oic is not available to speak to you. If they do this, then do not get angry. Just tell them politely that you will come back the next day, and the next day, and the day after that.

The key is to be persistent. You might have to keep going to the police station every day, for a few weeks, before they decide to do anything. But eventually, they will get sick and tired of seeing you and then they might just bump your laptop to the front of the queue, in order to get rid of you.

Personally, I wouldn't go to all this trouble myself, but it sounds like getting your laptop back is really important to you, so you should be prepared to make the effort.

Writing to your MP will get definately a response from the police, because although they don't mind keeping you waiting for months, they would never dream of keeping an MP waiting that long. Letters from MPs are always given high priority. But bear in mind that it may not be the response you want. They may just write back to the MP saying that your laptop is in a queue and they will get to it when they can.

And the most important thing of all, is to never let the police see how angry you are. Always be polite to them, no matter what they say to you, because that way they cannot accuse you of being 'difficult', and use that as a reason to not return your laptop.