Police are investigating a chilling death threat sent to a group of nurses who campaigned to stop a transgender colleague using their changing room.
Officers have made an arrest after a man told the women – who won a high-profile tribunal case earlier this year – he was going to come to their hospital and 'murder whoever doesn't support trans rights'.
A photograph of a large kitchen knife was attached to the email, which insisted it 'isn't a joke' and warned 'I know the address' of where they work.
The same person is also thought to have sent Facebook messages to the gender-critical trade union group the women set up, telling them 'the world would be a better place without your bigotry' and 'maybe you should kill yourself'.
When the death threat was discovered last week three of the NHS staff had to be escorted to their cars by security guards at Darlington Memorial Hospital, and seven of them stayed away from their workplace while waiting for police to act.
North Yorkshire Police arrested a man this week after being contacted by the Daily Mail - following days in which the victims say they were left in the dark over which force was investigating the case - and the nurses returned to work on Friday.
Bethany Hutchison, President of the Darlington Nursing Union, said: 'We are relieved but deeply shocked that the police took so long to take action on this, and only did after the media contacted them.
'This is not merely offensive online abuse. It is a specific and terrifying threat against a group of identifiable women at a named location which included an image of a large knife. Three of our nurses had to be escorted from their workplace by security, and seven nurses have been unable to return to their jobs.
The Darlington nurses during their Employment Tribunal case in Newcastle last year
'We reported the threat immediately and supplied the police with the correspondence. Yet days later, we were left facing uncertainty while police forces passed responsibility between one another.
'Other police forces must take note, especially as White Ribbon Day approaches, and many of these forces have firm commitments to ending violence against women and girls. Protecting us needs to be more than a slogan.'
The nurses believe the trigger for the abuse they received was that they thanked JK Rowling for supporting them after their successful campaign. Employment Tribunal judges ruled earlier this year that their trust had created a hostile and degrading environment, violating their dignity, by allowing transgender worker Rose Henderson to use their female changing room.
The first message they received through Facebook Messenger stated: 'JK Rowling is a f***ing evil bitch and you all should be ashamed for supporting her.'
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre which supported the nurses' case, said: 'This is an extraordinarily grave situation. A group of nurses has allegedly been threatened with murder at its named workplace, the correspondence included an image of a large knife, and the threat appears to have been motivated by hostility towards the women's legally protected and vindicated position.'
A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: 'North Yorkshire Police have arrested a 29-year-old York man in connection with the investigation into a threatening email and social media post.
'He has been released on conditional police bail to allow further enquiries to be carried out as the investigation continues.'
The suspect's mother said he has learning difficulties and is an 'extremely vulnerable adult'.
'He is absolutely distraught,' she told the Daily Mail.
'What's happened is he was angry and frustrated but he doesn't mean intent.
'He doesn't understand the nature of his words because he doesn't have capacity.'
A spokesman for County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said: 'We are aware of a threat made towards our staff and reported this to the police last week.
'We've also taken all appropriate steps to support and protect colleagues who may be concerned and to make sure they feel safe at work. No threats of violence are ever acceptable and we take this very seriously.'
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