http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

Police send four police officers to tackle boy, 11, who called schoolmate 'gay'

When two policemen turned up unannounced at Alan Rawlinson's home asking to speak to his young son, the company director feared something serious had happened.

So he was astounded when the officers detailed 11-year-old George's apparent crime - calling one of his schoolfriends 'gay'.

They said primary school pupil, George, was being investigated for a 'very serious' homophobic crime after using the comment in an e-mail to a 10-year-old classmate.

But now his parents have hit out at the police, who they accused of being heavy-handed and pandering to political correctness.

"It is completely ridiculous," Mr Rawlinson said.

"I thought the officers were joking at first, but they told me they considered it a very serious offence.

"The politically correct brigade are taking over. This seemed like a huge waste of resources for something so trivial as a playground spat."

Cheshire police launched the investigation last month after a complaint from the parents of the 10-year-old younger boy who received George's e-mail.

They said their son had been called a 'gay boy' and were concerned that there was more to the comment than playground banter and that their child was being bullied.

As a consequence, two officers were sent to the boys' school, Farnworth Primary, in Widnes, Cheshire, to speak to the headteacher who directed them to the Rawlinsons' home in nearby St Helens, Merseyside.

George told his parents that the comment was in no way meant to be homophobic and that he had simply been using the word gay instead of 'stupid'.