i think there r 2 many fat kids. i am not 1 of them. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

abc, chico town, 123 eazy as 123

This is something right out of an Orwellan novel, which probably means the poor kid will have to go through the serperation from his family. Several have alreday made the point that this shouldn't be done, and I agree that the family should be left alone, rather than made a spectacle of. Hey, but why stop there? Why not go knocking on everyone's door and find what they're doing wrong, perhaps find a reason to put everyone in jail, care etc? The nature of the problem is nothing to go by. Kids have been fat in the past and peope have died early becuase of it. That's no one's business bedise the kid/adult/parent that decides to live that way. Well,at least the kid will have a career ahead of him as spokesman for low-fat food, like Jared over here in the states.He can go around telling other people what to do because of what was done to him.Maybe the alternative would be better, which is to simply leave him alone. He ain't hurting anyone but himself, so everyone should just mind thier own.

Benjamin, Chicago, US

never forget that fat kids always win at see-saw.

trevor nye, Ceauce, France

One of my friends has two daughters, the youngest of whom, at 7, resolutely refuses to eat anything apart from bread and butter, crisps, cake and fried eggs. Over the years my friend has tried everything to persuade her daughter to eat a balanced diet, including consult a child nutritionist. Has anyone threatened to take the kid into care, accused my friend of irresponsibility or suggest she needs "parenting classes"? Of course not - the child is as skinny as a rail. No doubt it would be a very different story if her lousy diet showed on the outside. Greed, laziness and poor nutrition are not the only contributors to fat. Assuming they are is about as dumb as assuming that all slim people eat healthily, attend a gym daily and possess enviable self-control. There is obviously something fairly complicated going on in the case of this particular boy's development and/or psyche and, if it's the latter, I fail to see how involving social services, making his weight a matter of national concern and threatening to remove him from his family is going to help.

Fig Taylor, London, UK

The boy is obese from eating unimaginable sized portions of unhealthy food, served up by a mother who lays in bed - chain-smoking - whilst her OWN mother tries to assist with the lad.

With regard to the mother; why is there no such thing as "Lazy & Irresponsible" anymore? Why does everything have to be a syndrome or disorder?

Related article:
http://newsbiscuit.com/article/dyslexic-child-was-stupid-as-well

Hyais Pep, Portsmouth, UK

It seems pretty obvious that this child is suffering from Kleine-Levin Syndrome. Do you mean to say that the doctors missed the diagnosis? That's pretty disgusting. This mom needs sympathy, not approbrium.

Kevin, Johannesburg, South Africa

Has it ever occurred to those in authority that this boy might have an actual medical condition?? Not only fat, but also 5 feet tall... at 8! Now, I agree that eating chips with every meal isn't nutritionally sound, and perhaps some re-education on the matter would help his health (even if he never loses an ounce). But it sounds to me like there's a metabolic issue running with Connor. I can only assume that's been ruled out... but I'd probably be mistaken.

Jeannine, Corsham, UK

Charles, the only way your example would be comprable is if the child was underweight compared to his peers but very, very short! In that case his mass vs height wouldn't nearly be such a worry that child neglect would be suspected.

Amy, Los Angeles, CA, US

Only one person makes you fat.Only one person can make you thin. Nothing to do with us.

neil, waterford, ireland

If the Government were that concerned about obeisity in schoolchildren they ould not allow the selling off of school playing fields.

This kind of bullying makes me sick! The media will not intervene one tiny little bit to help children who are being dragged through the Family Courts, even though 29 have been murdered by the fathers they were forced to visit (and the mothers threatened with imprisonment if they didn't make them go) They use the excuse that they have to preserve the anonymity of the child. Yet they can break that anonymity when they want to! What a load of hypocrites!

Zoompad, Staffordshire, UK

This whole story -- and the attitudes of some of the commenters -- chills me. I have a son with Down syndrome who, at 11, weighs 165 lbs. We limit his food to what he should eat at meals and snacks -- but you cannot stop an 11-year-old (or an 8-year-old) from eating if there is food in the house. He gets up at night and finds food, he eats our dinner if we leave the table, if I make a batch of muffins he'll get into them and eat every one. What he eats isn't necessarily bad -- but he'll get into the fridge and eat half a dozen yogurts before I know what is happening. We've locked cupboards and the fridge (he just rips them off the cabinets, and nearly pulled off the door handle of the fridge). I routinely try to put stuff out of reach, but he knows how to climb a chair. I'm not a junk food person, rarely eat out, that is simply not the issue here. Please try to have some understanding -- we do the best we can do.

Susan, Southern US,

With a great deal of parents also being on the obese side,
what is next? Taking the kids away from obese parents because the children "may" become obese. What about those of us whose extended family is overweight? I think that the parents do have the responsibility to control what their children eat. If you are having trouble controling your children period, maybe you need parenting classes.

K. Snodgrass, Foley, USA

What more can be said than that some people just love to meddle. Just because we think his parents and he are not as they should be that is no justification to put him in institutional care or even consider it.

The old line about 'child's interests are paramount' means that children are often taken away from their parents because some care worker thinks it is best. They should only be taken away if the way their parents treat them is so unreasonable as to beyond reasonable doubt that it is grossly unreasonable.

Too many lives are ruined.

Parents are not treated as innocent until proven guilty and the State acts as if the kids are only on loan to the parents and can be taken back at any time.

Rob, Hereford, UK

Obesity has taken America by storm as well. Their are so many over weight people here it's insane. Rather than taking kids out of their homes and away from their families which should never be done, kids and adults should have classes they can go to to learn about nutrition and the kind of foods that cause weight gain.

Ben, St. Charles, MO, USA

I wonder what Orwell would make of this? Unless someone can prove that this childs life is at immediate risk, and I do not see how they could. This insanity is nothing more than a pack of nazis attempting to kidnap children.

W. Smith, Withheld, USA

I agree with Mick Hume. Whilst the weight of the boy is no doubt cause for concern, it should be a cause of concern for his parents - and not a national news story. The boy in question is paraded in front of us as an extreme example of someone requiring official intervention that no-one could possibly argue against. But I think officials should show great reluctance before they interfere in family life and as a father myself, one has to ask just what right they have to take the child away from his parents.

Over the last decade child rearing has been politicised in a way that our parents would have found unbelievable. Surely the time has come to take a stand against all these encroachments on family life and start defending the rights of parents to bring up their children as they see fit. And all those self righteous types should stop judging his parents too.

Mark al Dulaimi, London,

How dare the public authorities intervene on such a personal level within the family home over a weight issue. Yes, the child is obese; yes, his mother undoubtably overfeeds him and yes his weight will probably be the death of him. Does that constitute a crime? I think not.
There are 11-12 year olds who smoke and their families are not taken through the child care system on grounds of neglect.
This case has obviously spun out of control. Why not let the family be and ask the authorities to stop meddling in such personal matters.
The idiom 'variety is the spice of life' comes to mind when reading this article. In fact it needs repeating with a fog horn in this world where homogeneity seems to be the rule of the day.

polly mcbride, Aberdeen,

If the child was severely underweight the media would be screamin fot the kid to be taken away and the parents would be arrested - what's the difference here

Charles , sayreville, New Jersey, USA

I would say that the focus of the Great and the Good has been misplaced. I'm sure that the health (not social) services have genuinely tried to help Connor, but his mother is the source of the problem. She should be dealt with first.
It is said that she is suffering from depression: If this is true (and it could be just an excuse, but, given her situation, I doubt it), this should be addressed quickly and efficiently. To say that she is lazy is just crass. Depression can be a terribly debilitating illness, which manifests itself in, amongst other ways, listlessness and an unwillingness to engage with other people. She should then be taught how to shop. It's amazing how many people think that their local cheapo supermarket offers the best value. Connor should be given the responsibility to help his mother, so they can work together on his problem. Give a child responsibility and trust, and they will generally react positively. Then restock the fridge. Properly.

Nick McGine, Wuhan, China

This is purely and simply the fault of his mother! She feeds him constantly and says he complains if he doesn't get what he wants. So what if he complains, he's a child and should be reminded of that. She shouldn't be buying in such rubbish for him to eat and then he simply can't have it.

How can you blame anyone but the mother. She has refused to stop feeding him junk food so unless he is taken away from her then there is nothing that can be done. She is a lazy and has her mother come to get him out of bed, wash him and take him to school while she stays in bed! That is neglect!!!

Helen, Tyneside,

Calling this kid very fat is akin to calling the Titanic a pretty big boat. He is massivley overweight and with a lifestyle such as this will be lucky to make it to his thirties let alone live a normal lifespan.

To those saying he's just fat. How would they feel the case was inverse, if it was a kid who ate so little that they weiged under a third of the national average? I'm sure it wouldn't be "oh they're just a little slim, they just don't like food is all" rather it would be called the neglect and abuse that it is.

I do think this article brings up some interesting questions however. Where do we draw the line and step in because of 'abuse'? What level of obesity (or anorexia etc as the case may be) be bad enough.

David Leek, Wandsworth, United Kingdom

The boy is definitely big but the problem appears to have been ongoing since birth, health visitors, doctors, school and social services someone was obviously incompetent to let it progress this far.
Children do differ I remember my daughter being confined to a hospital ward for weeks eating 5000 calories a day plus big mac's and shakes, was she anorexic NO, three weeks on bed rest never left alone estimated 7000 calories per day weight gain 3 ounces.
Big children and slim children are genetically different but surely a point at which the BMI reaches maximum or minimum levels should trigger danger signal long before a child is 8 and fifteen stone.
My daughter was also to be taken away because we would not admit she was anorexic, she was traumatised by the experience and the doctor treating her was half her size!
Common sense should be used threats of abduction by the SS achieve nothing, education and co ooperation are needed threats do not help encourage anyone to co operate!

Louis Cannell, Northampton, UK

What worries me is the publicity this case is getting..i live in Spain and Connor was on every news programme last night, even reported as headlining news on some of them.. and in every one Connor was seen as smiling and almost proud of his new fame..
this paints a horrendous picture of Britain and how they can´t even look after the food intake of their kids.. i agree with some of the other comments that this doesn´t happen overnight, how come the local services have waited until he is over 14stone and then gone public?

Kirsty Moore, Palma ,

I'd like to bet if he needed treatment for an illness and his mother didn't take him for appointments or make sure he took his medication, we'd be condemning her for keeping him ill. What's the difference?

A child doesn't get that fat overnight, it takes years. And he can only eat what he's allowed to eat. So that's years during which he's been allowed to get steadily fatter and fatter, endangering his health.

Watch the journalists condemn the parents if he dies of a heart attack. Watch them condemn social services for not rescuing him.

Sue, Birmingham, UK

I would like to know just how much it costs to feed Conner in one week. Let the boy stay with his family but only allow them to feed him fresh fruit and veg, what a difference that should make for his weight.

Anne-Marie, cardiff,

What if this was your child. How would you feel with the possiblity of the Gov taking him away only because he was over weight. Watch out for the food police.

David, Memphis,

Working in the health & wellness business, I've been shocked by how very little some people know about food, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. A parent can only pass on to their children what they know especially when the child is quite young. Lower income groups have particularly bad dietary habits, borne out of a lack of education, coupled with what's cheap and convenient. I wouldn't call this intentional child abuse without first knowing how informed or uninformed the parents are. It appears that perhaps both they and their child need a good nutritional education.

Lori V, Nashville, TN

The worst thing is that most of the interfering busybody social workers and Community Support Officers, and a lot of minsters, are waddling, fat-bottomed, trouser-suited Anne Diamond lookalikes who have little self-control themselves. The sort who get puffed out standing on the up escalator. What use would they be in prescribing the kind of active life that Connor needs? Their cars deter kids from being outside. Their own prejudices make them think that diet is the only answer, and actually moving a lot would never occur to them. Pass me another chip butty, Harriet/ Hazel/ Cherie/ Patricia. Keep your interfering feminism to yourselves

Slim, Worthing, UK

At a young age children are fed and taken care of by their carers.... the questions that seems important is why not help your child when you can obviously see that they are overweight…? why let it get to a stage where the child is in danger because of how much he/she eats. The responsibility lies on parents to ensure and be aware of their child's diet and are healthy. This can be done in many ways that will have positive effects not only on your child but will influence the child’s life and future. I feel that parents need to take charge and be more aware of their child’s health.

Julia, london, England

Where has common sense gone.

Connor could have been put in the care of someone else (with doctor's supervision) whilst Mum had treatment for depression. No fuss, no media and no blame.

A Hart, Wyoming, USA

For Stephanie, it is this sort of heavy-handed statist intervention that is "left wing", not the reporter Mick Hume, who seems (on this article) to be nicely libertarian - ie "right-wing".

I am completely horrified that we have got ourselves into the situation where meddling busy-bodies with limited accountability can threaten to break up families on such flimsy pretexts. Did the Rochdale and Orkneys satanism scares not teach us anything?

Paul, Towcester, UK

I'm trying to figure out your motives. It obviously it isn't the health of the child you're concerned with. Maybe you want British kids to end up looking like American ones.

Overweight, unfit, diabetic, joint problems... Good grief.

Or maybe it's a bash the nanny state rant. Looking forward to your future whinging about your taxes paying the health care costs of the mars bars and crisps eating oiks.

Mike, Aberdeen,

It seems to me that only "care workers" would consider taking a child away from a loving family. Think about it, Zoe from Bristol. Think back to when you were a child, and try tim imagine how you would have felt if you had been a VERY FAT child and you had a loving family, but just because YOU WERE FAT and your mother was one of the millions who are not good disciplinarians so she had trouble controlling what you ate, you had been taken away from your loving family and put into care. Would you rather have been FAT and at home with your loving family, or THIN in a care home?

Mo, Altrincham, Cheshire

Let the boy stay with his family but make them liable for any cost of medical treatments that he will undoubtedly need. And make sure at the outset that they really understand that they will be paying.

dh rowlands, cardiff,

If this is the strategy to be implemented, then whats good for children is good for adults. If you're overweight, you go to jail. Step forward Mr. Prescott.

Paul Mahalo, Hull,

Loathe as I am to admit it Mr Hume may have a point here, though not necessarily the one he thinks he's made. The "you all hate the working class" accusations are ridiculous, just the usual lazy polemic accompanied by his favourite bette noire's of the day (usually left wingers who've stayed close to the cause rather than drifted right like Hume has- the anger of the dispossed maybe?). But one point he touches on is valid, namely that the child's weight may not be attributable to the way he has been fed. Plenty of extremely good evidence has been accumulated regarding how different people respond to diet, combine this with the childs considerable height and jumping to conclusions about how the child has been abused are unevidenced, over the top and unfair to the family who seem genuinely concerned.

Thomas Davies, London, UK

Fat children turn into fat adults. I don't want to pay for fat people's use of the NHS. I don't want to sit next fat people on the bus or on an aeroplane. I don't understand how a parent on the dole can afford takeaways, perhaps someone should address this issue.
Children are not born fat their parents make them that way. I admit that I don't see the point in punishing this family for their force feeding of their child, punishment will come in time. Connor will suffer awful health problems later in life and when his mother is visiting him in hospital because his diabetes got so bad that he got gangrene and had to have his feet cut off perhaps then she will reflect on what she has done.
People should stop pandering to folks who simply cannot control their gluttony. Put them in camps and starve them!

Jo, Southend on Sea, uk

Well, I think this case is a nice microcosm of what modern Britain is about. A nanny state interfering with our lives, whilst real problems go unfixed. A fat boy (I was fat), whose parents are admittedly not doing him any favours, is the focus for an enourmous waste of resources, whilst somewhere in Britain a train crashes, or a patient gets the wrong dosage, or a child gets stabbed by his school chums

Well done tony, you have certainly spent our money well!

italian stallion, ferrari, modena

Mick.
I hate meddlers,I will not carry an ID card,The Police have too much power etc....
But in this case,the Parents are failing this child to the point of condemning him to an early grave.
I don't agree with him being taken into care,but he has to be stopped from abusing his body like this.Period.

Michael J Rigby, Chorley Lancashire, England

If a parent's care leaves a child physically disabled and at a massively increased risk of various fatal or crippling diseases then surely that care *must* be scrutinised by those authorities who have a responsibility to intervene in the eveny of a child suffering significant harm.

To equate taking a child into care with internment without trial is not only to fundamentally miss the point that children must be protected from such harm but to belittle the efforts of underpaid and underappreciated social workers and foster carers throughout the country.

Zoe, Bristol, UK

Be afraid, be very afraid. Big Brother will get us all, the net is closing in.

Fanus Dreyer, Dumfries,

Myabe the course of action in this case won't be effective. My understanding is that there is serious concern for the child's current health and education. He is obviously very unhealthy and a side effect of this is that he is missing school because he is unable to walk there.
I understand that the mother has missed previous meetings and ignored help and advice offered.
Is MIck suggesting that our society should stand back and watch this boy continue to get steadily more unhealthy? At what point do we say to his mother, "I'm afraid you are, by your actions (and lack of actions), killing your son. We can no longer trust you to look after him for HIS sake."? Should we wait until after his funeral?

Mark Davis, London,

I can not believe the how the weight of one child has everyone in such an uproar. The emotional scarring by removing him from his mother and reducing his weight to "acceptable" standards is unthinkable. Just think back when we were children and the scarring caused by peers to over-weight children. Now, you have authority figures basically doing the same thing. There are children where I live who are similar and have grown up to be huge men who play American Football, bench press 225LBs. @ 20 reps, leg press 500 + LBs. @ 15 reps. at 16 years of age. This kid hasn't even gone through his 12 yr. growth spurt.
So, with that in mind, I will leave you with my favorite American phrase," Y'all need to mind your own damn business"

Greg Rebert, York, USA/ Pennslyvania

I was shocked by last night's programme too - and I consider myself pretty liberal.
I feel sorry for his mother, suffering from depression, but if it has caused her to neglect her son to that extent, she clearly isn't well enough to care for him properly. She kept saying "no one has stepped in to help" - er, what about his own family? He's not the only nagging child in existence.
It was heartbreaking last night seeing his gran get him up and give him presents on his eighth birthday while his mother lay in bed smoking a cigarette. The house was dirty and the general environment appalling.
*That's* the reason it's equal to abuse. He's been tragically neglected and fed trash to keep him quiet.

Claire, Manchester, UK

Hume, what a load of nonsense. The utter neglect shown to this boy in the 8 years of his life has put him in a situation where his life is in danger, it is child abuse plain and simple. The parents are clearly unfit to be looking after a child.

What is also disturbing is that you choose this extreme case to highlight to further your assault on common sense, you give us liberals a bad name.

Chris, Falmouth,

Spot on! The evidence is that only 1 in 5 obese children become obese adults and that ovewieght and obese adults live longer and are healthier than those underweight or the "correct" weight. So why the hysteria? As for removing a child from a loving home because he's fat...an extraordinary outcome that says that definite harm to at least two people (mother and child) counts for less than possible health problems in the future for one person. How can that calculation be right? Since when did the state have the power to remove children in this way? Since when did the state demonstrate that it even at its best it is better than the worst of parents?

Tim, London,

Stephanie you are sadly mis-informed about conditions in 'care'. Are they to force feed this boy or starve him? Either one will cause harm and yet that is not abuse? If the fat police and state sponsored child snatchers succeed, then the bar will simply be set lower and lower until ANY child that deviates from the 50% line will be snatched. What out all those whose children are a bit bigger than the 'norm' cos they will come for yours next and having been through the process myself (I won my case by the way despite thier lies and secrecy) I can say I wouldnt wish it on my worst enemy.

Steve, Pontefract, England

What is removing this child going to achieve? The boy will blame himself and what little self esteem he has will become non existant. This action sets a dangerous precedent. We have seen children removed from families as they are too poor,now because they are too fat. I assume that these meddlers are all within the healthy weight range, probably not, most social workers i have seen have bottoms you can park a bike in.

Tallulah Milliat, Doncaster, Yorkshire

I do not think there is any real danger of the boy being taken into care but being up before the panel and being made to face up to this possibility sounds like just the shock his mum might need to be stricter with him.

Mark Pantry, Westerham,

I think Mick Hume completely misses the point. We are not talking about the playground fat kid here, we are talking about an 8 year old boy who weighs more than my 6ft tall husband. We are talking about an 8 year old who can't run, can't put his socks on, vomits if he walks for more than 10 minutes and has missed most of his schooling. His life is already being wrecked let alone his long term future. I agree that taking him into care would be an extreme measure and family support is a much better solution and the possibility of an underlying medical condition should be investigated. However, Connor has not reached this extreme state on his own and his mother needs to take some responsibility for allowing it to reach this stage. She was blaming him for raiding the cupboard for crisps etc. and my question is why were there crisps in the cupboard anyway. Hopefully, the family will get the help they need to allow Connor to properly enjoy his childhood not be trapped in his own body.

Charlotte Kelly, London,

I watched the Tonight Programme last night and was truely shocked. His Mother is literally killing him by not being firm in the face of his constant demands for food and even worse, refusing to put a padlock on the fridge. One has to wonder how this boy manages to stuff his face with so much crisps, chips, chocolates and takeaways if it's not being bought for him by someone.

So in answer to this liberal left wing article, yes the best thing for this boy is to be taken into care. Sure it might be a love-free environment but it is the best chance he has of reaching adulthood. Making light of having a child who can't walk more than 5 mins without collapsing or who can't breathe properly when sleeping is not an "overblown warning" on the perils of obesity. Unless we either make children eat more healthily or get them to do alot more exercise I shudder to think of the problems the next generations are storing up for themselves. How will the NHS & taxpayers cope?

Stephanie, London, England