Police launch dawn raid on boy of 12 'over school fight'

A father told yesterday how police made a dawn raid on his home - to arrest his 12-year- old son following a "scuffle" with another boy.

Taher Faleh, 31, said he was woken at 6am by two officers hammering at his front door. They insisted on waking his son Dean themselves.

When the worried father objected to them being the first to walk into the bedroom Dean shared with four young siblings, he claimed they threatened to arrest him as well.

By the time Dean was led away, the other youngsters were all "scared and crying", their father said.

The schoolboy was taken to Sheffield's Attercliffe police station where his DNA and fingerprints were taken and he was released on bail at 9.30am pending further inquiries into the alleged assault months earlier.

Recalling the incident at his home in Shiregreen, Sheffield, the father of six said: "I was woken by the knocking. I went downstairs and they said they were the police and they had come for my son.

"I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I thought it was a joke. But they were ready to smash the door down so I let them in.

"I told the two policemen I would wake him up. I didn't want them going upstairs and frightening my children.

"They said they had to arrest him from his bed. I stood in front of them on the stairs because I was knew they would be frightened if strangers burst into their bedroom.

"I was adamant the police officers shouldn't violate my children's space. In my culture it's a sin to violate other people's space, especially children.'

"But they said if I didn't move, they would arrest me for obstruction of justice. They refused to allow me or his mother to wake him up and they insisted on going into my children's bedroom, where there were four children under ten asleep, and waking him up.

"I have six children, they were all scared and crying. There was a big commotion."

Mr Faleh said he phoned the police switchboard when the officers were in his house but could find no one willing to help him or discuss the arrest of his son.

Mr Faleh, originally from Yemen, said Dean was involved in a "scuffle" with a boy on the way home from school.

He added: "I found out about it and I spoke to the other boy's mother and we both agreed we would not take the incident any further.

"They are only children and they have fights, that's what they do. They had a little scuffle and we tried to sort it out.

"Two children had a fight. There were no broken bones, no scars and no lasting damage."

But six weeks later, in September, Mr Faleh received a letter from South Yorkshire Police asking him to contact them about an allegation of assault.

He said he took Dean to the local police station five days after receiving the letter. There, they spoke to two officers.

Mr Faleh made a counter-complaint of racist abuse against the boy's mother, whom he claimed chased Dean home, calling him racist names.

He added: "My son is a good lad. He's got no criminal record, he's doing well at school and he respects his elders.

"I thought England was the cradle of civilisation and then something like this happens, it's unbelievable."

He said he was speaking out about the incident because he was so shocked at the attitude of the police.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: 'A 12 year-old boy was arrested in connection with an alleged assault, following numerous requests for him to present himself at a police station.

"He has been released on police bail pending further investigations into the alleged assault.

"We treat allegations of assault very seriously and are determined to bring offenders to justice using proportionate means."