Amy Pirie says her charity has been subject to “relentless” trolling
Amy Pirie says her charity has been subject to “relentless” trolling
18:57, 13 Dec 2025Updated 18:59, 13 Dec 2025
Police are investigating an alleged campaign of online trolling which a woman said left her hospitalised and feeling suicidal. Amy Pirie, 41, has run the charity Horse Sense Wirral in Thornton Hough for 18 years.
Amy says he was diagnosed with pericarditis, which is inflammation around the heart, after being rushed to hospital earlier this month with a suspected heart attack. The condition is causing her permanent chest pain. She said: “No-one can ever say it was caused by the trolling, but there’s a lot going on.”
Merseyside Police confirmed a dedicated officer has been assigned to investigate reports of malicious communications made against the charity on a local Facebook group. Amy describes being subjected to seven months of “relentless” online trolling which began after a grievance over the rehoming of a horse.
She said: “For the last seven months I have been relentlessly attacked. They have brought up things they allege happened when I was in college. More recently they said I had thrown a brick through someone’s window, which is laughable because I’m in a wheelchair these days and can hardly hold a cup.
“It’s caused a lot of stress, but the bigger concern is the animals. It has caused a downturn in donations and volunteers are scared to come to work.”
Amy said the trolling has escalated to in-person incidents. She claimed a pick-up truck pulled up near to the horse paddocks on November 7 and fireworks were let off. Merseyside Police have not confirmed this incident to the ECHO.
Amy added: “Early on in this, both my mum and I were suicidal. All I’ve ever done is try to help people. All these trolls are doing is posting screenshots of conversations with no evidence.”
A police spokesperson said: “We confirm in June we received reports of malicious communications directed at the charity on social media posted on a Facebook group. A further report was made in November.
“This investigation is ongoing, and we are supporting the person who reported the allegations.
“A dedicated officer is assigned to the case, and we are continuing with our enquiries to gather evidence and identify offenders.
“We will act on any evidence which meets the threshold that a crime has been committed and take steps to seek prosecution.”
Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at [email protected].
