Youth crime commissioner Paris Brown stands down over Twitter row

Britain's first youth crime commissioner resigned from the £15,000-a-year post today, less than a week after her appointment was announced because of a row over her Twitter postings.

Paris Brown, 17, from Sheerness in Kent, said bravado had led to her statements on Twitter, which had offended many people. She said she was resigning from her post as the youth police and crime commissioner for Kent after police announced they were investigating whether her comments amounted to a criminal offence.

Critics claimed the comments were racist, homophobic and condoned violence and drug-taking. Brown pleaded to be left alone now that she was standing down.

Ann Barnes, the police and crime commissioner for Kent, admitted the tweets of her chief youth aide had not been vetted before the appointment, but said the role, which had been one of her main manifesto commitments, was a good idea and she would look for another candidate.

In a statement, Brown said: "I accept that I have made comments on social networking sites which have offended many people. I am really sorry for any offence caused.

"I strongly reiterate that I am not racist or homophobic. I have fallen into the trap of behaving with bravado on social networking sites. I hope this may stand as a learning experience for many other young people.

"I now feel that in the interests of everyone concerned – in particular the young people of Kent who I feel will benefit enormously from the role of a youth commissioner – that I should stand down as I feel that the recent media furore will continue and hamper my ability to perform the job to the level required.

"I ask for the time and space to recover from what has been a very difficult time and to allow me to move on."

The tweets, posted when Brown was aged 14 to 16, have now been deleted from her Twitter account.

Barnes said the idea of a youth crime commissioner was a good one "to reduce the gap between younger people and the authorities, particularly the police".

Barnes said: "I was not recruiting an angel, and I was not recruiting a police officer. I was recruiting a young person, warts and all. I think it would have been absolutely impossible to have found a young person who had not made a silly, foolish or even perhaps a deeply offensive comment during their short lifetime.

"I'm sure everyone has said or written something they regret – I certainly have. Unfortunately, today we live in an internet world where many people air their views in the public domain."

Barnes praised Brown as "an extraordinary young person with exceptional skills and a proven track record with working with young people" who had "turned down the position of a lifetime".

The vetting of Brown had followed normal police procedures, Barnes said, but had not covered the teenager's social media contributions: "We used Kent police's vetting procedures, which do not normally involve scrutiny of social networks for this grade of post."

Barnes, who said she would not be quitting her role as police and crime commissioner, said Brown had impressed the interview panel, which included a former chief constable and a serving officer: "We worked with the best of intentions but, sadly on this occasion, it hasn't worked out."

Barnes said the media should not put intolerable pressure on the 17-year-old, whom she praised for facing the cameras after the furore broke: "It is their job to break stories. However, particularly in the shadow of Leveson [the report into media abuses], I do not believe it is their job to break people – particularly when they as young as Paris."

Brown works for Swale borough council as an apprentice within the commissioning and open spaces department.

Barnes is now advertising for a chief of staff. Applicants may be wise to check their social media writings before applying.