Police accost girl, four, for picking daffodils in park
A girl of four was reduced to tears after police accosted her and her family and threatened to arrest them for picking daffodils in a park.
6:00AM GMT 16 Mar 2011
Sienna Marengo was picking flowers with her sister India, 10, and step-sister Olivia, six, when they were spotted by a passing councillor who reported the incident to the police.
Two officers then warned the girls’ mother, Jane Errington, 35, that she and her partner Marc Marengo, 49, could be arrested for theft and criminal damage before moving them on.
The couple were left fuming at the “heavy-handed” response and accused police of wasting their own time. Miss Errington claimed the officers watched the family for 20 minutes before they were spoken to. She said Sienna has been left too upset to return to the council-owned Whitecliff Park in Poole, Dorset, in case her family “would be taken away by the police”.
Miss Errington, who owns a property maintenance business with Mr Marengo, said: “We were out in the park for two or three hours enjoying the sunshine. The little ones had been riding their bikes, but after a while they got bored and went to play in the daffodils.
“I was with India roller-blading so I didn’t see them pick any flowers, but the next thing we knew a police patrol car pulled up. The little ones were really upset and started crying. It was quite frightening for them.”
Peter Adams, the Conservative councillor on Poole council who reported the family, said: “We are very proud of our parks and can’t have people ripping up public property.
“I am a reasonable person and would not have called the police if they were just picking two or three flowers, but this was totally disgraceful.”
Comment: The same old nasty party allows a same old nasty Tory councillot to abuse children! Shame on the Tories! And shame on Peter Adams!
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