The parents of an 11-year-old boy who weighs 15 stone have been arrested on suspicion of neglect for allowing their son to become obese.
The man and woman, who have not been named, were interviewed under caution on the grounds of child cruelty.
The child’s mother has claimed the family had been trying to get the boy to lose weight by encouraging him to play more active games on his Wii games console.
She also said her family was predisposed to being overweight.
The woman, from King’s Lynn in Norfolk, told The Sun newspaper: “The idea they could take away my son scares me so much.
“His weight isn’t that much of a big deal. “I’m chubby and the whole of my husband’s side of the family is big. It’s genetics – you can be genetically fat.”
Police have defended their decision to arrest the parents, saying officers from the child abuse investigation unit worked closely with health and social services to deal with “sensitive issues such as obesity and neglect of a child”.