Disabled boy, 12, held under Terrorism Act after Channel Tunnel police accuse his mother of child-trafficking

A disabled 12-year-old boy and his parents were detained by police under the Terrorism Act after his mother was accused of 'people trafficking' her mixed-race son.

A female detective constable stopped Julie Maynard and her son Joshua during a day-trip to Calais, demanding to see their passports.

She asked 'Who's the boy?', before telling Ms Maynard: 'It's obvious he has nothing to do with you. I believe you are child trafficking.'

Ms Maynard, a legal advocate, said she challenged the Channel Tunnel police officer, asking whether she would have been asked the same question if her son had been white.

She claimed the officer replied 'Are you accusing me of being a racist?' before the family car was surrounded by ten officers and they were ordered out.

The family, from Ware, Hertfordshire, were then detained under the Terrorism Act and Ms Maynard was separated from her husband Leslie Coombs and son, who suffers from autism and cerebral palsy.

She was taken to a detention room and held for questioning for more than two hours, before finally being able to see 'distressed' Joshua.

Police told the family members - Julia Maynard and her husband are white, while Joshua;s natural father was black - they could be held for up to nine hours, while investigations took place.

Kent Police have since admitted the incident was 'inappropriate, unprofessional and lacking in tact'.

Ms Maynard said: 'My son is mixed race and the officer told us, "I believe you are child trafficking"' - adding that the ordeal was an 'unpleasant and frightening experience'.

She said: 'More and more people are being stopped under the Terrorism Act. There's absolutely nothing in the act to stop individual officers abusing their powers.

'They have a difficult job to do in a difficult climate but their approach needs to be reasonable and not presumptive that every person is somehow guilty of a possible terrorism or criminal offence.'

Following a complaint to Kent Police by the family, Inspector Helen Shaw said the officer involved in the February 20 incident had been 'transferred from duties'.

A spokesman for Kent Police said she had moved "of her own accord".

By way of compensation the force paid a 'substantial sum' to the welfare fund at Joshua's school.

The family's ferry fare was also reimbursed and Joshua was given a trip to the Kent Police marine launch.

In a letter of apology to the family Inspector Shaw, from Kent Police Frontier Operations said: 'Your complaint and my subsequent enquiries allowed me to identify that her manner had been insensitive, lacking in tact and that her conduct overall lacked the professionalism I expect.

'I wish to reassure you that your highly unsatisfactory experience was a very isolated incident.'

Kent Police said today the family had not been detained under the Terrorism Act.

The force claimed the family had merely been informed that questions about their travel documents had been properly asked under Schedule 7 of the Act.

It also said the officers who surrounded the family's Nissan Micra had been involved in a "completely separate operation" and some had mistakenly approached the car.

A spokesman said: 'We are very sorry. Clearly, things didn't go completely right.

"We have taken various steps to help resolve the Maynards' complaints, including refunding their ferry fare, sending a letter to Joshua and paying £300 to his school's welfare fund."