Soap Opera Actress Arrested in Raid

A former star of the U.K. show, East­Enders, was arrested on suspicion of an alleged “large-scale” fraud. Authorities held the actress Friday during an early morning raid on her London home, The Sun reported. A detailed description of the alleged fraud conspiracy has not been provided.

Officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (Ersou) are conducting an investigation, one of ten regional police units in England and Wales. Ersou, which combats organized crime and counterterrorism, confirmed the arrest and its ongoing investigation. In addition, it has dedicated teams that deal with fraud, money laundering, and enforcing the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Officers from Ersou’s economic crime unit arrested the actress, but she cannot be identified legally. U.K. media is highly encouraged to redact the names of high-profile suspects in initial reports. 

They are typically unnamed due to guidelines that advise against publishing a suspect’s identity because it implies guilt and is therefore defamatory if it turns out to be unfounded, according to In Brief.co.uk. A media organization may then have difficulty defending itself in a subsequent libel case.

There can be extenuating circumstances, including threats to life, preventing or detecting crimes, and matters of public concern. A police force may, however, provide non-identifiable information concerning an arrest, such as the arrestee’s age, gender, offense, and location.

Information about an adult charged with a crime, such as a name, address, occupation, and charge details, should be released to the media when not prohibited by law. According to The Sun, the East­Enders alum has been on British television for three decades and has starred in the long-running BBC One soap opera.

When police reportedly swarmed at an address where she is believed to be staying, they took away documents and electronic devices. A source told the outlet, “The fraud allegations must be large-scale given who’s investigating.” 

The insider added,”It was an early-morning raid. She would have been taken completely by surprise.”According to reports, the actress was taken to a custody center at a Kent police station for questioning before being released later that day under investigation. 

Last month, EastEnders star Jessie Wallace was arrested outside a nightclub following suspicions that she assaulted a police officer and was intoxicated. Police took the actress into custody after her arrest in Suffolk, England, for “public disorder.”

A spokesperson for the program released a June 21 statement about the arrest, revealing that “Senior bosses have spoken to Jessie Wallace about the incident and issued a clear warning that this kind of behavior is unacceptable and Jessie has expressed her deep regret.”