Brit Parents Arrested Over Son's Weight

11-year-old was 210 pounds
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 7, 2014 1:55 PM CDT
Brit Parents Arrested Over Son's Weight
Parents in Britain were arrested amid worries over their child's weight.   (Shutterstock)

Suspected of child neglect and cruelty, a pair of British parents were arrested—over concerns about their son's weight. The 11-year-old is just over five feet tall and weighs 210 pounds; his body mass index is 41.8, the New York Times reports, via the Sun. A BMI of 30 or greater is considered obese. The police were alerted to his condition by doctors and social workers who'd treated him. Teachers at his school were worried after seeing him unable to get up after falling over, the Metro reports.

The parents, whose identities haven't been revealed, were released on bail after police interviews, the BBC reports. They've committed to improving the boy's fitness, which they say is the result of genes, the Metro notes.“He was born with shovels for hands and spades for feet," the father told the Sun. "Our son’s favorite snack is steamed broccoli—and he’s still big." According to police, "intervention at this level is very rare and will only occur where other attempts to protect the child have been unsuccessful." (More Britain stories.)

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