THE ARREST and overnight detention of a blogger has sparked online outrage.

John Graham Kerlen, who blogs under the name Olly Cromwell, was taken into custody by police on Tuesday afternoon and kept overnight.

Bloggers took to their keyboards to condemn the arrest and the hashtag #FreetheBexleyone was trending on Twitter.

Kerlen, of Millwards in Essex, was released yesterday afternoon after appearing by videolink at Bromley Magistrates’ Court and was found not to have breached bail conditions, set ahead of a trial in April, which prevent him from making any direct or indirect reference to any Bexley Councillor on any social networking site.

In January, he pleaded not guilty at Bexley Magistrates’ Court to sending an offensive or obscene message by means of a public electronic communication network, namely a photograph of a home that was grossly offensive or of an obscene or menacing character.

He will stand trial at Greenwich Magistrates’ Court on April 13.

The 37-year-old operates the site youve-been-cromwelled.org which criticised what he sees as the shortcomings of Bexley Council and Police.

At the January hearing, Kerlen was found not guilty of harassment without violence of “various Bexley Councillors” after no evidence was offered by the prosecution.

No comments have been allowed on this story for legal reasons.