MARK FREARSON

Mark Frearson and son Harry

Mark Frearson was out shopping with his son Harry when the little boy wandered off and it was only after a ten minute search that he was found outside in a nearby park.

Mark told Harry off and smacked him once on the back of his leg and the two returned home.

Three hours later at around 9pm, four police officers and a specialist child support officer arrived at his house, saying a witness had reported Mr Frearson for "assault", took Harry away in a police car, arrested Mark on suspicion of assault and locked him in a cell. (Mark Frearson)

After about an hour he said officers told him they could not carry out an interview as the witness "was not in a condition to give a statement!"

Mr Frearson, a director at a parcel company, had to spend the night in the cell and was released the next day after the witness was interviewed and withdrew their accusation.

The 47-year-old has made a formal complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission about the ordeal saying the police reaction was "massively over-the-top" and the experience was traumatic for his son.

Until four years ago, parents had full rights to use corporal punishment under laws allowing "reasonable chastisement" but since the 2004 Children Act it has only been legal to smack if there is no injury, which can be as slight as a bruise or "psychological harm".

But of course the "psychological harm" that can result from a child seeing his innocent father arrested and then he himself taken away by the police just doesn't count - not to the police or to their "specialist child support officer" - not as long as the police can get another tick on their target sheets!

Mr Frearson, from Plymouth, Devon, said: "I find it shocking how easy it is to have someone arrested. To think that all this happened on the back of one allegation."

But since under New Labour's lunatic target system you get as many points for solving a brutal murder as you do for arresting an innocent man and terrifying a small boy - who do you think the police will go after?

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