Shirt confusion lands lad in cell
A DONCASTER teenager was handcuffed, fingerprinted, and spent seven hours in a police cell - all because he was wearing the same T-shirt as a beer-bellied shoplifter.
In a frightening case of mistaken identity 15-year-old Danny Lawrence was spotted wearing the same top, from High Street chainstore Primark, as a suspected shoplifter.
Police arrested Danny and took him to Doncaster police station, where it took several hours for officers to check CCTV pictures of the suspect before they decided they had got the wrong man.
Danny's dad, Clive, is furious about the treatment the De Warenne Academy schoolboy received in Denaby Main.
Danny, a fit teenager who works out at a gym, was mistaken for an older man with a beer belly who stole cans of lager from a shop.
Danny was eventually released without charge, but his family is upset his fingerprints and photo were taken before he was allowed home.
Describing the moment he was nicked by police on his way to the gym, Danny said: "They came out of nowhere and said, 'What have you been up to then, fella?'
"They spun me round in front of everyone and slapped handcuffs on me. The next thing I knew they were arresting me for stealing eight cans of lager from Home Bargains. They said I'd done it a few minutes before and they had me on CCTV.
"I hadn't been in the store and I don't even like lager."
Eventually Danny was released after it was realised he was wearing the same T-shirt as the real thief.
His dad said: "The police have behaved very badly on this and their attitude was dreadful."
A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police said Danny's distinctive clothing matched the description of the suspect.
"Following further checks on the CCTV footage of the incident, and an interview, the youth was released without charge."
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Friday 25 May 2012
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