A couple have been arrested for allowing their 11 year-old son\u2019s weight to balloon to 15 stone.<\/p>\n
Police were alerted by doctors who treated the youngster twice in one month and were concerned for his wellbeing.<\/p>\n
The parents of the 5ft 1in boy were arrested and questioned in March on suspicion of child neglect and cruelty.<\/p>\n
Police last night confirmed the couple were now on bail.<\/p>\n
They are reportedly in danger of losing custody of the boy to social services.<\/p>\n
The parents, from King\u2019s Lynn, Norfolk, told the Sun that their boy\u2019s weight gain was genetic and they have tried to keep his size under control.<\/p>\n
His mother, 43, said: \u2018The idea that they could take away my son scares me so much. I\u2019m nothing without my kids. I am chubby and the whole of my husband\u2019s side of the family is big. It\u2019s genetics. You can be genetically fat.\u2019<\/p>\n
Despite being nearly three times the recommended weight for a boy of his age and height, the child\u2019s mother said his weight does not worry her, and said he was affectionately known as \u2018wee chubby\u2019.<\/p>\n
She said: \u2018His weight isn\u2019t that much of a big deal. He uses a Nintendo Wii to stay active and is on a strict diet.\u2019<\/p>\n
Fears over the boy\u2019s health were first raised by teachers at the specialist school he attends for his autism.<\/p>\n
The parents have already signed a care agreement with social workers. If they break it, legal proceedings will be started to take the child into care, it was reported.<\/p>\n
The boy\u2019s father, 49, said: \u2018He\u2019s always been big. He was born with shovels for hands and spades for feet. Everyone on my side of the family is big there\u2019s nothing we can do about it.<\/p>\n
\u2018I only eat occasional kebabs. Our son\u2019s favourite snack is steamed broccoli and he\u2019s still big.\u2019<\/p>\n
A Norfolk police spokesman confirmed that a couple aged 49 and 43 were arrested in March on suspicion of child neglect and cruelty and have been released on bail.<\/p>\n
Official figures published in February reveal that dozens of morbidly obese children have been placed in care because of health concerns.<\/p>\n
Out of 74 who were taken from their parents in the past five years, councils recorded that one weighed 23st and eight were more than 20st.<\/p>\n
Some 183 under-11s were recorded as weighing more than 16st.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Source: Daily Mail<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A couple have been arrested for allowing their 11 year-old son\u2019s weight to balloon to 15 stone. Police were alerted by doctors who treated the youngster twice in one month and were concerned for his wellbeing. The parents of the 5ft 1in boy were arrested and questioned in March on suspicion of child neglect and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":23230,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[7],"yoast_head":"\n