I'm scared of the precedent it would set. How about sending Connor to health classes, and having a CPS worker pick him up to make sure he attends?

L, Camp Lejeune,

I really dont think the answer is to put the young man in care it would only make things worse for the boy and will end up depressed at the thought of being taken away from home. a good solution is taking the mother aside and helping her to change the eating habits he is so used too. Maybe a health expert could visit the house too help instead of people in authority blaming the parents. maybe pay for a health camp for him to visit instead of taking him away from his family which would help him to help himself its never to early to learn.

Miss Cartwright, Oldham, uk

I think it goes deeper than that. Permissiveness is only
one symptom of post-God societies, and Connor
McCreaddie's problems stem from absense of Godly
values on the part of his parents and society, and out-
side of a miracle, nothing is going to be done about
it; Revelations and Jesus Himself said that the end times
would be like this: people would be pleasure-seekers,
lovers of anything but God, etc...Or in other words
"Eat (McCreaddie's case in point), drink and be merry,
for tomorrow we (may) die". Greece, Rome, Baby-
lon and ancient Egypt, among other bygone societies, were like this, living it up while they were still able (and
young enough to do so). Didn't he have any other
life to get other than this one ?

Ken Karpinski, Grand Rapids, United States (MI.)

I am considered overwieght and being overwieght isnt a terrible thing, but I am 18 and weigh less than this poor boy. His mother is either completely selfish or blind to not see that she is killing her child. If he keeps going this way, in only eight years he is 218lbs, then by the time he is 12 he will have a heart attack from the strain on his system. He isnt just 10, 30, 60 pounds overweight he is hundreds of pounds too big. Conner deserves a chance to succeed, he deserves to be put first. This is not about descrimination against fat people, as I have been one all my life, this is saving a CHILD from a pain, sadness, and a premature death. Nip this in the bud now before it is too late!

Brenda , Silverton,

How can you say the child is in control when he's only 7 years old, he's barely learning the difference between right and wrong, let along the importance of a good diet.

Andy, Australia,

connor, i think its okay that your over weight. im 11 years old and i weigh 40 pounds over what my weight should be. just show up for your appointments and find a sport you love and will keep you active and healthy for at least 1 hour a day. youll find your self dropping 10 pounds before you know it... and then another 10 pounds...and so on. just try and commit your self to something you love and that will keep you healthy. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!

mckenzie, dix hills, new york

He shouldn't go into care because tax payers don't want to contribute to the care for the child if he was removed from his mother. There are a lot more children with more urgent needs. The mother should be monitored and if they don't turn up for appointments, then the child should be removed.

Class 9Y1Geography, Reading, UK

Sounds as though the child is in full control here, rather than the parent. He needs boundaries, plain and simple.

Lisa, Cardiff, UK

that poor mom! i feel for her, she has nothing but love for her child. have you ppl even considered that the child may have been born with a metabolic problem? my 5 year old is at 98lbs right now. eats nothing but veggies and fruits and drinks water. what would you ppl like for me to do in order to show that i love her and try to take the upmost care of her? would you like it if i deny her food? starve her? this is the problem in the world today, we think everyone should be thin! thank god, I live in america where i have freeedom to raise my child the way i see fit. and if ever they turn to this, i will petition

marly, catawba, usa

I agree they should remove the child from the home. The mother knows what she is doing and it is not loving him. She is killing this poor child and he doesn't deserve that. I just hope that they can get the child out of her care as quickly as possible before something happens to him and if he does die she needs to be held responsible for his death for she is the one doing this to him. It's not that the mother needs help because it was offered and SHE rejected it and besides it's not like she is STUPID and doesn't know that if you only feed you child food full of fat that they are going to get fat and unhealthy. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. Removing the parent in this situation obviously is the solution because she obviously is not enforcing a healhty diet for her child.

rochele, modesto, ca

I have sympathy for the family. Clearly the mother needs help and why didnt she get it earlier?? i think we need to be VERY careful in this attitude of simply removing children who are obese from their families, without assessing all the facts first. Otherwise we are saying that obesity is simply down to poor diet and all you need to do is remove the parents to solve the problem, when if you check the facts it isnt. Diets alone dont work. Obestity can be genetic.

DA, York, England

the mom is definitely wrong, poor kid,,,,,

A.N.other, seoul,

this is cruelty of the first order. it began when the child was born and the mother is one hundred percent to blame. Of course the poor lad should be taken into care on a permanent basis. It is difficult to understand how the mother has the gall to put the blame elsewhere. This is neglect. It proves that we do not live in a civilised society. If we did, the NSPCC would have been shut down!

ann whorwood, birmingham, england

I find it disgusting the way this poor childs mother has a bused her 8 year old son! by feeding him on junk food.How is it the doctors fault if she puts chips in fronty of him everyday. He wont like vegetables and fruit if he has the choice between them and junk food. who would if i put a piece ov cake in front of u and a grape i now what id go for. People need to realise this is not the childs fault as he is only 8 years old and will not make his own meals and take himself owt for exercise. this child needs a decent upbringing with the care he needs. His mother is practically killing him with food !

becky, bingley,

i fel so sorry for the little boy and the way his mother is going about it i dont think have should have to go into care for it. it is his mothers fault because she pus all that junk food in frount him and if he likes he is going to eat it.
if i was 14 stone my mother would still love me the same so i dont see why being 14stone at the age of 8 should mak a diffreance i am so sorry connor for the way your motheris treatng you.

Lilly, glasgow, scotland

I am appauled by the neglect this poor little boy has suffered. I am disgusted by the way a mother has allowed an 8 year old boy become so big. Isn't a mothers job to protect and look after her child? not in this case evidently. A child of 8 cannot distinguish what is good and bad, and will eat what is put in front of him.

clj media liverpool, liverpool, england

Too much time and energy spent on one person... Your Government should be concerned about the common good! You cannot be everything to everyone...

Mitchell, Austin, Texas

"A history of fruit and vegetable intolerance" is not a good reason to have a child stuff himself with junk food. I have fruit and vegetable intolerance too: it's not allergy, it's intolerance. Your body can be trained to take those foods gradually, until your body can take them without a reaction. I did it at 34 - a growing boy can do it too. And no, potato chips are not cheaper than a bag of apples. They're more expensive, at least in Canada. I should expect that the same would apply in other industrialized countries. Really, the mother should put a foot down and replace some of the junk for better stuff.

Elise, Evain, Quebec

I am extremely concerned about the way this child's photo has
been so publicly displayed all over the papers and the internet.It gave me the impression of a person been used as a circus showpiece and I wondered what century I was in.

angela, birmingam, england

Hey, Harry. How do you explain the TWO FAT LADIES, then? Huh, genius? Brits are fat and you know it.

CommonSensical, Highland,

Sure some healthy foods are expensive, but cant excersize be free?

Jennifer, Montreal, Quebec

i think that the fat kid should really, seriously think about going on a diet. if not he's going to end up like one of those americans that look like beached whales. That is disgusting!! And of course its the parents fault, who can be stupid enough to feed an 8 year old nothing but chocolate and crisps every 20 mins. i think the child should be taken away and the parents locked up.

harry, rotherham,

It is clear form the documentary that the family is extremly diadvantaged both socially and economiclly. Mum is depressed, and is looking after the boy without the assistance of his father. The family survive on benifits and do no thave any support other than the boys grandmother. (It is very difficult to affort lots of fruit an dveg when you live on benifits - I know, Ihave tried this myself!) Before the social services think of taking him into care it should be established weither or not he boy has a metabolic disorder that makes him over eat. If this is proven to be so thent he family need to be supported in an effort to get his weight under control. taking the boy into care may be the easiest option for the socials erivces but I can not see how it would benifit the boy in the long run, if his health problems managed to be controlled with support by hte family. If this boy does not have a metobolic disorder then the whole family needs have their eating habits addressed!

Vicky, Somerset, England

I believe that the boy should be taken into care as it is clear that neither his mother or grandmother are capable of caring for or denying the child food! I think that Connor should be made to eat fruit and vegetables as these provide the nutrients which he obviously needs. The intolerance to fruit and vegetables is just a gimic for the child really doesn't like fruit as he probably has never been made to eat it. Another point that should be raised is that this child really needs to exercise as it is clear enough that the boy doesn't exercise from his size and weight.

Joseph, Sheffield, England

People like that boy's mother, should not be allowed to have children! and what's worse, she's sending him to an early grave!

S. Conway, Mossel Bay, South Africa

The UK seems to have this habit of cooking in the family home for all different tastes and eating in front of the TV, what happened to cooking a nutritious meal and all the family sitting down together and eating at the table, all other european countries such as Spanish, Italians and French do this and its a great way to improve social skills.

IIf this child has an intolerance to fruit & veg then there are plenty of diets that cater for people who don;t like "healthy foods" Slimming World includes all foods including chocolates and sweets, its main focus is eating foods in moderation, which I do not believe this little boy does.

Taking the boy into care is not the solution, re-educating him, his mother and Grandmother in food and cooking would be the better solution and hopefully the whole family would be healthy and increase his life expectancy as the way he is eating he will be lucky to reach 30.

Claire, Bournemouth, Dorset

The mother is responsible for all of it. It is not health services job to care for her son! She said that they should have intervened earlier but she is the one to blame and the child needs to be put into child services before he ends up dying because of his mothers inability to be a parent.

David, OK

David , Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Has that boy ben tested for "Prada -Willi" syndrome
?He seemed to exhibit all the symptoms

Elly, leeds, united kingdom

I don't think he should be out in care because that will make the situation worse. They should just monitor his progress and help his mum get out of depression and teach her to look after her son. How can she love him when she is literally kiling him?

Jack, Framlingham, England

Hi Allie,

I have to disagree with your standpoint. No direspect intended but "Food as a 'class' issue? Now that's getting a bit far fetched. This 8 year old is not a poster child for adverts on tv. His mother has control over what he eats, and hence his gross weight gain. I'm sure different clips were shown in the UK than in the US (gotta love the almighty media, eh?), but what we saw was a child sucking down food, while his mother was huuriedly chopping up more for him to eat. Her shining moment on camera had her stating something to th effect of, "what would I want him to be. A skinny kid?" Yes, mum, and I'm sure you wil be there to defend him when he gets called names, and bullied about, and suffers depression.

Tough call, because I don't profess to know what child services are like in London, but this child needs help *now*, and the mother has issues as well. They *both* need help. I hope the services understand that.

Marsha, Atlanta, Georgia

As a mother of 4 children,I feel it is a parents responsibilty to monitor what a child eats/it's welfare.If there is a history of intolerance to fruit/veg then it is his parent(s) responsibility to seek advice about what food to provide him with to meet his nutritional requirements and to keep him at a healthy weight.
His mother needs to get up and get out of bed-he is her son-if she needed help she should have asked for it!
There is no excuse.I work full time and have to deal with a diabetic diet,gluten free diet,low fat diet and a high calorie diet.Why can't she look after her son?
If she can't be bothered with her son's health then perhaps he should go into care and be looked after by people who would care/be bothered to get out of bed!!

JCarpenter, Oxford, UK

After watching the programme last night I gained the opinion that the mother is too lazy to look after her son. She was laid in bed with a cigarette in her mouth whilst her mother came and got the boy ready for school and the house was an absolute tip! I am a single parent with a 7 year old daughter and I manage to do two part time jobs, take my daughter to school, cook, clean and do the gardening. My pride doesn't let me lay in bed all day and claim benefits, I think the government make things to easy for lazy people. I feel very sorry for Connor and his grandmother, if the boy goes into care his grandmother will be devastated but I think his mother will be relieved that she doesn't have the responsibility of looking after him!

Sue, Southampton,

I believe this is a form of abuse as its purely neglect!

Emma , Birmingham , UK

The mother is obviously not capable of looking after the child. She admits she suffers from depression, so cannot possibly be taking care of an 8 year old (and at that age, children are very hard work). In my opinion, social services should have intervened a long time ago... before he got to 14 stone. However, now that they have, care would be the best place because the mother obviouly has no idea how to prepare a healthy meal. I mean, 4 slices of toast with lashings of butter and jam? Is that a healthy breakfast (even for an adult)?

I saw this documentary last night, and frankly, I was horified firstly to see that mum would not even get up to get Conner ready for school. And then smoking in BED? She really is no role model!

Ella, Heronsgate,

I think the headline for this article is extremely disgusting on the writers part. The story is sad and I wrote my 2 cents about it on my blog but the writer of this has given this boy a label that will follow him for the rest of his life.

Erin, Clinton, USA

how about the mother gets out of bed on a morning, stops smoking, gets a job and buys proper food for her son instead of feeding him instant mashed potato and loads of yorkshire puddings for his tea

jo , leeds,

I feel sorry for the child. I also feel sorry for the social services. If they take the boy in to care they are splitting up the family, however, if they don't intervene and (heaven forbid) the child dies then social services will be first to be blamed. I heard on the radio this morning the mother is already blaming them for not intervening sooner! She should have done something sooner. I think the main issue here is lack of parental control. As already stated, it can be all too easy to give in to a child so you can have a quiet life, however, in the long run you are only storing up problems for yourself and the child.

Charlotte, Moray,

Anyone seen the videos of this kid eating? His mom sitting there cutting up pork chops and chickens for him, hes shoving it in his mouth faster than she can get it ready for him. Licking his fingers-gross.
The kid eats more for breakfast than i eat all day. Anyone who doesnt think this is bad for him probably has the same issues.

David, Dayton, Ohio/USA

I don't think the child should be taken into care, however I do believe there should be health visitors and social worker for the boy. Maybe they could try educating the mum on how to feed her child to suit the household budget.

If this fails say a time limit and assessments during this time to see if the boy has lost weight etc Then he should be taken into care because he won't live to be a teen let alone go of the rails as a teenager as someone above suggested

Karen, Glasgow,

His mother suffers from depression. Hence the grandmother arranging his morning activity.
His mother claims that the boy has always craved food, even as an infant-which may tend to indicate that he has an underlining medical condition. I understand that he will be seeing a hormonal specialist this week. Note the height of five foot one inch for a boy of just eight years of age(that's more usual in a boy of 12-13 yrs).

gary Monaghan, Hartlepool, England

sorry, not poor family. Did anyone notice last night that both kids had mobile phones, TV's in their rooms and a play station? This child should be taken into care for his own good because the mother is killing him. In my opinion how can she love him when she won't even get out of bed in the morning to take him to the doctors? I think that the mother is the root of the problem and the council need to focus on her primarily, by educating and not just throwing benefits at her.

Gemma, Brighton,

Oh that poor boy! It must feel awful - after all, he is only doing what he is told. The media bombards children with images of junk food - the message is that this is what all the cool kids eat. But the cool kids are never fat, are they? He must feel like such a freak, especially with all this publicity. And his mother doesn't know any better.
I agree with The Regulator, USA - the government is allowing us to be fed wrong information by the media, allowing us to be kept ignorant, and then of course stepping in to control the crisis situation. Food is now more of a class issue than anything else.

Allie, London, England

The child is a produce of his mothers laziness. You only have to look at the home in which they live to see this. His mother obviously can’t be bothered to look after him & gives into his tantrums for the “Quiet life” yes I think he should be taken into care.

Rob, Sussex,

I dont think its rite that this boy is to be put into care as he is only young and could get bullied. Also taking him away from his mum could make him seriously ill and would affect his emotional needs.

melissa Roberts, manchester, England

That doesn't look like Prader Willi syndrome. People affected with the Prader Willi chromosome disorder are short and have small hands and feet, poor muscle development and many other characteristics that are not present here.

I agree the kid should first of all see a physician. Part of the problem is that he apparently fails to show up. That in itself justifies authorities stepping in--'lifestyle police' or not.

Gerrit, Amsterdam, Netherlands

poor family / I dont agree if this young child will not react to the problem and his mother and grandmother are unable to stop this self distruct boy then like any other illness he needs to go on a course to show him how to stop and take the two woman that loves him with him to show them also
the mother could also benifit from the program her state of health would also inprove thus with the help of Granny not one but three lives would be changed for the good The problem is DO ? we have this kind of centre that would bring about this wonderfull change to all their lives

LUCY, Southampton, united kingdom

Does this mean that the likes of John Prescott, Johnny Vegas, Eamonn Holmes, Russell Grant, Matt Lucas, Vanessa Feltz and many other obese people in the public eye should be taken into care for their own good? They hardly set an example to our children and such people are probably the reason why we all rush out to buy wide screen tellies!

Charles, Weybourne, Norfolk

The last thing Conner needs is the social services taking him into care. He's in a loving enviroment let him stop there. If it do'es happen then it's the thin end of the wedge for us all for lifestyle police interfering into every aspect of our lives. Having seen some of the programme last night it's clear he's not a normal boy he looks very tall for an eight year old. The boy is ill and needs treatment not taking away and put in some uncaring home with people who do not understand him unless of course they what to turn him in turn another teenager that go'es off the rails in a few years time.

Roger Zanker, Leicester,

Sumo Wrestlers go on a special diet of high fat food. They train from a young age to become the weight they are and die young.

The inherited comment is an excuse. People are fat because they eat too much and exercise too little. It is akin to filling a glass with a small hole in the bottom, if what goes in is too much then the glass fills up! If the flow in equals the flow out the amount remains constant etc.

If fat parents have fat kids, and tall parents have tall kids: what do fat tall parents have?

Therefore, what do fat, tall and stupid parents have? What do irresponsible parents have?

The answer is this problem we are discussing. Take him into care, give the child a chance at life instead of dying at 30!!

B. Moloney, Utsunomiya, Japan

I am a physician and this young boy has clinical features of Prader Willi Syndrome, a genetic disorder, that can lead to obsession with food and morbid obesity. It breaks my heart to think that if he truly does have this disorder then he needs to be properly diagnosed and treated. To take him away from his mother would be a crime! annette

Annette Headley, Pawcatuck,

"Do we need to be butting into other peoples business all the time?" Asks KC of Middletown, USA.

If someone has allowed a child of 8 to way very nearly twice his weight in years, (8 years, 14 stone) then, yes, someone SHOULD butt in.

And for those not familar with stones the boy is 200 pounds in weight or about 91Kg.

Martin, Telford, England

This is not the government's concern. It is the parents concern. The government was never formed to micro-manage the family unit. If the people keep allowing the government to become more and more liberal and make more and more decisions for us and dictate what we can and can not do for our 'own protection', pretty soon we will not be making ANY decisions for ourselves. The people need to wake up and smell the coffee before it is too late.

God Bless The USA

The Regulator, Mobile, Al

I wonder if this unfortunate boy has ever been prescribed steroids? - Steroids can cause massive weight gain, especially in children.

Too much salty food can cause fluid retention in children, and reducing the amount of salt Connor eats would help him to lose excess fluid from his body, which would bring down his weight.

And renewed efforts should be made to get him to eat fresh food like fruit. - Maybe smoothies would be the easiest way to tempt him into making his food intake healthier.

Margaret Wilde, Sheffield,

The worst thing you can do for this kid is to take him away from his parents who love him. If overfeeding him is the only "abusive" thing they're doing, than it will be more harmful to take him away from them.

I'm sure that social services can help the family change their feeding habits.

Dana, W Hartford, USA/CT

Sorry to everyone, but weight and height ARE inherited!
Tall parents have tall children.
Short parents have short children.
Fat parents have fat children.

I finished college in 1960, and there were fat kids back then. This is NOT A NEW phenomenon. It happens. All the junk that people READ is worse than most of the junk they put in their bodies.

Japanese are KNOWN as thin people who eat healthy. But they are also SUMO WRESTLERS!

Justa Thought, Evansville, USA/IN

My heart goes out to this boy! Instead of the mother looking to blame everyone she needs to look at who's responsible for rearing her son and it aint the local GP or the schools etc....it's her!!!

This boy is now at the mercy of those who are there to protect him and hopefully they will step in and do their job. That job is to ensure that this boy is protected from further neglect and abuse by his mother/family.

Brenda , Edinburgh,

I think that now this case has been given so much attention it would be wrong to put the boy into care. He is getting the help he needs and I'm sure his mother will follow all the rules now!! Kids that are put into care should be put there because it is for their own protection. This boy is being watched by the authorities and is not at risk so care would not do him any good at all.

Amanda Worf, Rochester, England

My opinion is torn, why should he go into care the mother will not learn the right way to parent but if he doesn't go into care he won't learn and will just be another fat adult and will bring his kids up the same way.

Michael, Poole, Dorset,

I have a 7 year old little girl who is over weight , we noticed she had a problem 3 years ago and I approached our doctor to see a dietician, since then we have been regulary checked by a dietician and a peadiatrician, she has sweets once a week we excersise regulary together I never buy take aways or ready meals. crisps or pop and we never have biscuits in our house. what she chooses for school lunch she checks with me later to make sure she has chosen something healthy, thats all my little girl wants is to have thin legs and a thin belly, as a parent I believe we are doing every thing we can. she is fit and healthy she has been tested for diebetes. thyroid and cholesterol which are all clear no parent is perfect but when we see a problem I believe it is our duty to act upon it. I have been through the tantrums and slammig doors, but now we distract and give choices, I always have carrot sticks and cucumber sticks in my frigse for when she is peckish she is 7 years old and 8 stoe 8

D B , aberdare, mid glamorgan

social services should help parents more and not be to quick to judge and not threaten to take them away

michelle, wednesbury, west midlands

I have raised one that is tall and skinny and one that is tall and big, the one tall and thin I had when I was young and felt like getting out and doing stuff, and he would all on his own. The younger one I had when I was older and likes to sit and read and eat, and in fact if I don't give him the food "he" will get it himself. Fussing at him over this doesn't do much good, but I am not sure that it makes him feel very good about himself inside feeling like he is a "fat pig" which is what he calls himself, not me. I understand that it can be a problem for him, I also understand this that I am overweight some, but not ever called obese. My grandchildren are not overweight and they spend a lot of time with me. My son that is big has a massive bone structure and has others on his dads side of the family that were big even though his dad is tall and skinny. I don't think this is a thing to take kids away for, but a thing to make sure we try to make sure that they get enough proper things to eat.

Just a mom, anycity, USA

I say don't take the boy into custody, as that would be Big Brother stepping in to take the parent's place in their child's life. Take the mother into custody, keep the responsibility where it ought to be; on the parent's head! charge her with child neglect. Provide for a stiff sentence contingent on improvement of the child's condition over a reasonable time period. This ought to get her attention! At this point, she doesn't seem to care enough about her child to get him the proper nutrition or education regarding diet and exercise. Children by their very nature are not reasonable or rational creatures. They make decisions based on "I wanna!" This is why parents should take charge and be held liable for their child's welfare.

chuck, Phoenix, Arizona

If the child begins to develop serious health issues, I believe that the govt should intervene for the welfare of the child. First, the parents should be educated on the impact of obesity on people in general. I work with patients in a bariatric program, and obesity caused issues near death.

I do believe that other methods of intervention should take place first, before removing the child from his home. If his obesity stems from a mental health issue, such as an eating disorder, removing the child may make his condition worse.

Anna, St. Paul, MN

For all the Americans who have commented here without any knowledge of another countries government, take note. It is the Governments place to intervene because Britain has a National Health Service that all EMPLOYED people pay into. If the mother is unemployed, as implied, then we pay for all the junk she is feeding her child and WE will have to pay for all the long term implications to his health if it is not addressed now. As British Tax Paying Citizens we have a right to demand our money is used as well as possible. When you pay the taxes here you can make ill-informed comments too.

SG, Gloucestershire,

Why should the government interfere? Why should anyone? We should just let the process of natural selection and survival of the fittest take its course...
Let the kid eat himself into an early grave, he'll probably enjoy it.

LG, London,

E said send him to bootcamp. er...I think you mean send the boy's mum to bootcamp. Whoever heard of being intolerant of fruit and vegetables! Someone is telling porky-pies, Mama McKeown!! A bit of re-education could really salvage this young life and put to rest any worries about his future. It is the idea of change that is frightening, not the change itself. These people need guidance not threat. This is a little boy we're talking about, who needs his mum, not uppity people in authority who browbeat to grab headlines.

Sophia, London,

This little boy and so many others today are being "fattened up" by a seemingly harmless additive in so many foods called HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP.

Although it sounds natural because of the word "Corn", this additive is not as good for you as you might think... and it is in EVERYTHING! Look at ingredients on food products and drinks and it shows up with regularity. It's even in ketchup!

Everyone should read the following, if they are seriously about staying healthy...

http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/highfructose.html
http://www.newstarget.com/003002.html
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/18/FDGS24VKMH1.DTL

Scott S., Dallas, TX, USA

While yes, some people are genetically predisposed towards a slower metabolism, and therefore towards weight gain, "one or two extra granola bars, eaten daily" would not account for this child being THREE TIMES the weight of other children his age. With today's permissive society, where no-one is held accountable for their actions, no-one has told these parents "if you allow your child to eat these quantities, you are just as guilty of abuse as someone who takes a strap to their child".

Yes, to quote a phrase, it takes a village to raise a child. Parents should remember that they are part of that village.

aunty_pathy, Newbury, UK

My brother at the age of 10 became overweight although not as bad as this boy.
Mum noticed and took him down the Doctors and it turned out that he was comfort eating because of being bullied at school.
To stop the snacking no more crisps,sweets etc were kept in the house. He was'nt given money to take to school and Mum made sure he stuck to just three meals a day and watched what he ate.
He also took more exersise, Dad taking him off to play cricket and football on the local field.
Efforts were made to do something about the bullying but the school did'nt want to know.
By the time he went to secondary school his weight had gone down to what it was before and he was a happier person.
At the time this happened my Mum was pregnant, she and my Dad both were working to pay bills etc, and another one of my brothers had just had a serious car accident.

I'm sure with a bit of effort this boy could lose that weight.
It might seem cruel to say no and not let him have his favourite foods but at the end of the day he'll be the better for it.

Amanda Peters, Cardiff, UK

What does the child eat at school? I wish mine didnt eat sugar, but they sell it and she manages to always have money to buy it. We arent there 24/7 .

Where does the gov't interference end? if a child is 10 lbs overweight? 15? 25?

Who is to say a child is overweight? Children tend to put on extra pounds right before puberty as it is, are we gonna take away all kids that are chubby and pre-pubescent? And what about those who are genetically pre-disposed to being heavy?

This issue needs to stop being a freakin social issue and should be a personal one only,.

Do we need to be butting into other peoples business all the time?

KC, middletown, USA , NY

Let the kid die. It'll be one less fat git in the world.
If the boys parents don't care, why should we.

Dave, london, england

Sylvia from Atlanta thinks this is genetics. Genetics? How is this genetics? As my grandmother used to say 'you never see any fat people in a famine'. He is overeating, not doing any exercise and his family think that letting him have what he asks for is 'love'. This type of parenting is a kind of abuse, with no thoughts for the consequences to the child. Your job as a parent is to make the right decisions for your child, not to buy their affection by never saying 'no'. I trust that the local authority will make the right decision for his health and well-being, the same as if he was in danger from physical or emotional abuse.

Anna, London,

The government needs to BUTT OUT. The persons responsible for this child are his parents. Deciding what he should weigh is NOT the job of the government. This is so far down the slippery slope of government control of the populace that it is fairly ridiculous. Where will it end?

Leslie Armstrong, Miami Beach, FL USA

he is a child - who is buying him all this junk - his parents.

stop buying him junk and he will lose wait - do parents not know that you have to be cruel to be kind. do not give in to them. that is the real problem - parents who are far too soft on their kids and then blaming society for the problem.

stop buying junk like crisps and sweets and fizzy drinks and burgers - it is unbelievable that God gave us all this wonderful fruit and veg and people had to go and ruin it by interfering with what God has made - if it comes from God it will be good for you - if we make it - not good

ed breen, Glasgow, scotland

Good. The mother claims to be unemployed---who paidfor all the bicycles, the rubbish food etc, etc?

BAD PARENTING, ignorance and the folly of letting an 8yr old dictate as to what he will eat, are at the root of this.

A strech away from 'moronic mum' will do him a power of good---if he lives that long.

John, Edinburgh,

As for this young boys situation, how about a trial boot camp.
This way he’s not actually being taken from the parents. Instead He will go in until he starts to show a meaningful improvement and afterwards they should let him go back home. But while at home if he should exceed a certain weight limit in a given period predicted by a competent doctor then Again he should be put back into the boot camp. After a while you would think that his desire to stay home would give him the motivation to keep the weight off on his own. Now if on the other hand if he shows absolutely no improvement while at the boot camp; then the government should fully sponsor him with medical attention since they are currently so concerned with his well being.

E, noplace ,

For those who think there must be something medically wrong with the child, I'm afraid you're wrong. He's grossly overweight because he eats too much, has done all his life, and his family allow him to. It's child abuse.

JMW, Hampshire,

The ultimate in parents not taking responsibility. Well done the local authority. A hard choice but a necessary one. I hope he gets help from the people who ARE prepared to put their necks on the line for him.

Zarich, London N8, England

Excellent! It's about time obesity was recognised to be the effect of social dysfunction and neglecftul, lazy parenting. I hope this makes other parents think twice about considering obesity as a 'lifestyle choice'.

Claire, London, UK

The bottom line is that if you eat an unhealthy, unbalanced diet in greater proportions than you need, taking into account your daily exercise requirements, you end up weighing more than you should. There are no disorders or genetic predispositions that magically triple the calorie content of food. If he is obese he is eating too much (and probably taking to little exercise).

Please, enough with the political correctness. He is fat and he is a boy. He is therefore a fat boy. Is 'thin boy' offensive? The description in the title is enabling the reader to ascertain the content of the following article in one sentence, as a title should. Maybe those opposed to such 'rude' article headers should question their own interpretation of the language used, and why they consider the word 'fat' to be rude, rather than a simple description.

Christopher Cowie, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

Of course not, it is societies fault he is fat, not his parents who obviously allow him to eat junk. This is another case which illustrates how this country has gone to the dogs. No individual has responsibility for their actions, it's always someone elses fault. I woudl ebt that both the mother and grandmother are fatties.

fatboy 2, chubbsville,

Ok first of all this isnt about gangs this is about obese kids not eating right and getting enough exercise.
Secondly i agree with the idea that children are the responsibility of parents and not the government. If you want to have a kid then you should take care of him/her and ensure that they dont do things that could endanger their lives. You wouldnt let your child attempt to set themself on fire because you know that they could die, well your child can die from eating too much and not exercising but thats ok. Getting fat is sort of like a fire once its too big you can't put it out.
So making sure kids dont get into bad habbits like this is important and the best person to teach them this is their parents.

J Halliday, Oxford, England

So, he weighs 14 stone, has broken five bicycles and the family claims to have a history of intolerance to fruit or vegetables?
This family seems ready for the next stage : go to the fast food driving an enormous petrol guzzling SUV, in full pursuit of happiness.

Ronnie, PARIS,

Everyone is blaming the parents but there are lots of overweight children out there whose parents try mightily to have their children lose weight with no success. Such obesity at a young age is mostly genetic.

Contrary to popular belief, It doesn't take massive feeding from parents of gallons of ice cream to add up to obesity. It only takes a few hundred extra calories a day, such as one or two extra granola bars, eaten daily over time, to add up to a lot of extra weight, even in the five or so years this child has been eating on his own. Successfuly getting the child to loose weight would take a very concerted effort by anyone to make sure he doesn't sneak those extra calories in per day - and no gurantee that as he gets older, he won't find those extra bites himself somewhere.

Unless there is proof that the parents are shoveling mac and cheese down the child's throat, this is not abuse- just genetics.

sylvia, atlanta, USA

The parents should stop being part of the problem and ask for help. The child should be properly diagnosed to remove uncertainty about the cause of his obesity. Only then can aproapriate action be taken. If the parents are simply over feeding the child with poor quality food, they should show immediate change in behaviour or the child should be taken away from them. If the child has a medical condition that leads to his weight gain it should be identified and treated. If the parents are fit they should play an active role in solving the problem.

William, Kyalami, Suid Afrika

Is your article header rude enough? He's an overweight child, clinically obese to be sure. "Fat Boy" is hardly a respectful title.

Jenn, Lime, Peru

A police officer?

Trent, Surrey,

So what is this "care" that he may be taken into? The usual mix of neglect and wasted lives? Or is something better now on offer?

Bob Doney, Camberley,

'intolerant to fuit and veg'?..since when..dont recall anybody in any war like that...pathetic

harry, north lincs, england

The purpose of child protection conferences is to try and get parents to work with professionals, particularly when appointments have been offered before to assist with the problem in question and then not taken up. Parents attend the conference, hear what everyone involved with the family has to say, and then play a fundamental role in drawing up the plan to try and sort things out. The television reports talk about this child throwing tantrums, so I doubt that intolerance of vegetables is anything but psychological and learned behaviour!

If that doesn't work, the local authority can get permission for the child in question to come into the care of the local authority, but they have to satisfy a court that this is the only option and that everything else has been tried and has failed. Again, the parents would have the opportunity to have their say to the court. The only way a child can be 'taken into care' is either by agreement of the parent or with a court order.

Jackie, Derby,

We must remember that local authorites follow guidelines which require that they give children in care quite a lot of pocket money (£15 per week I have heard in some cases) and we can all guess what this child will be buying. What happens when he doesn't lose weight? Do the foster parents get the blame?

Peter Ryder, Aunac, France

Further to my previous posting it is interesting to note that when I was at school fat children were almost unknown and I didnt leave school till the mid 70's.

In France where I live now fat children are hardly in evidence unless they happen to be the children of holidaying Brits who nearly all seem to have faces like puff pastry!

Poor diet and lack of exercise are the principle reasons for fat kids - genetics is rarely the reason.

The responsibility rests squarely with parents who dont spend time with their kids and try to be their friend rather than a parent. More time playing out and engaged in sports and mums who can cook a simple balanced meal of lean meat and veg instead of taking the soft option of fast food or microwavable processed food is all that is required. They even save money as well as not kill their children.

Its not rocket science!

Geoff Miller, Josselin, France

There was a similar case in New Mexico. Anamarie Regino is now 8 years old, 5'3" and weighs 210 lbs. The State of New Mexico took her away for a few months when she was 3, and couldn't do anything about her weight either. Her parents have her restricted to a 1300 Calorie diet, and she's still gaining weight and growing. See here: http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/11518.html

Maybe all of you judgemental "blame the parents" types should consider the possibility that there's something wrong with the child. You don't get to 200 lbs at age 8 just by eating too many jelly donuts.

John, Albuquerque, NM, USA

I hope for the boys' sake, his mother and grandmother engage with services. He can't be a happy boy, and I'm sure as eggs are eggs he can't play football with his friends or run around playing 'catch' with his peers. Let's hope the right decision is made and he is put on the child protection register having suffered neglect. They take overweight dogs off owners, but he should be with the most appropriate family member to look after his health needs.

K Oultram, Manchester, England

Mr Geoff Miller, Josselin, France

dont blaim the parents, blaim the processed food industry. all the 'intelligent' parents are too busy selling highly refined, low-nutritional valued foods to the 'responsible' parents. It is very easy to point the finger at one family, but the problems is much more grand. how about government subsidies for whole foods? or community based garden programs (similar to public parks).

PS truancy may be also trumped by supportive parents.

guest_number_26, none,

It would be interesting to see what the diet of the parents normally is. they say "Like father, like son".
If they are not, or were not at his birth, eating a balanced diet then this has probably led to this.
However, there are certain syndromes that a child can have that lead to such eating disorders.
each case should be taken on its individual merits - making a "sensational" case from the child can only do harm. ITV should not broadcast the programme until ALL social and medical fact are known.

Mike, Nottingham,

Excellent solution from R Mason, London.
Take all the children and seriously damage their health in order to keep everyone else safe. Any child who resists these efforts is a "terraway", and should be put in care. Soon the whole country will be unable to move, completely removing the risk of physical attack. Inspired.

On the story, it has been held in court that not feeding a child, with the intention to kill, is murder. There is an obvious lack of intention here, but if the child dies, there may be a case for bringing a charge of manslaughter.

Children are not born "little people", they are a helpless being in need of education as to how to live and survive. The responsibility this places on parents is huge, as are the ramifications for society as a whole. Our entire biological purpose in life is to reproduce and educate our offspring in order to advance society, surely this requires action to be taken against those who neglect their duties.

David Artley, Middlesbrough, UK

Any move by the social services to remove this child would be very traumatic to him and the whole family. Honestly, no one would benefit from such a radical move - surely this must be one of those opportunities for someone to support the family at home to overcome the problems of their overweight child.

Layton Bevan, Neath, Wales

Could you use the metric system so that English people can understand as well as Americans and the over eighties, what you are talking about.
We use kilos in England now, not pounds and stones and ounces.

Peter GODDARD, Cheam, England

'an intolerance to fruit and vegetables'! It would be funny if this poor kid wasn't going to an early grave because of it.

Lisa, Milan,

These parents obviously don't want to help this child, if they did they would attend the various appointments that have been set up. Fruit and veg intolerance? If this were the case I would be seeking all the professional help I could.

S Ford, Herts,

Child protection does not just involve protection against violence or sexual abuse but also any action which may harm their physical and mental health. By being morbidly obese the boy in question is at serious risk of cardiovascular ill-health. Although plaing the boy in care seems rather drastic, the multi-disciplinary approach that has been taken will hopefully lead to the most appropriate decision being made in terms of this boy's future.

S Naylor, Leeds, England

"There has to be some parental responsibility.”

Some is the wrong word. It is all to do with the parents and the family. No child should end up at that weight due to an unhealthy lifestyle. How can schools, Government and media be blamed for that? This country is becoming 'too reliant' upon the'blame game'. I am tired of hearing, "the Government should do this...sort that." No, I am sorry but the basic nurturing, care and responsiblity lies with the family unless they are deemed unsuitable parents. In which case the child should then be put into the care of those who will cater for a child's everyright to a happy childhood.

Lisa, Newcastle,

How exactly can this be misconstrued as picking on obese children? (leaving aside the fact he's in the paper!) I respect the right of adults to be obese and massively increase their risk of a myriad of diseases ranging from diabetes to arthritis, but children should be looked after properly and given a nutritionally sound diet, and perhaps encouraged to take some exercise, not allowed to reach the situation where they are 3 times the average weight of a "normal" child!

Rich, Newmarket, UK

I agree that somrthing must be done for Connor but removing him from his family is surely not it. So his physical health would improve but what about his psychological health? How would he react to the trauma of being forcibly separated from his family?
It's important that all the specialists on the child protection panel do get together to try and help. There must be something less drastic that can be done.
The other thing to think about is whether people would react the same if Connor had anorexia. He may be placed in hospital for short spells but no one would be talking about putting him into care.

Shelley Webb, Ipswich, UK

Why is it that people always "need help"?

Its quite simple. You either have the intelligence and compassion to raise a child properly or you don't.

There should be far less effort trying to shoulder peoples responsibilities and more effort put into making people take responsibility.

What gets shoved in your childs face is the parents responsibility.

If they prove incapable of feeding a child properly they should be punished and the child put into the care of more responsible people.

Before long these pathetic people would get the message - just like they did when parents of truants were jailed.

Geoff Miller, Josselin, France

Humm...The State taking children from parents using State-based criteria? Indeed. "It is now the privilege of the Parental State to take major decision - objective, unemotional, the State weighs up what is best for the child". (Helen Brook, founder of Brook Advisory Centres, letter to the Editor, The Times, 16 February 1980).

Whose child will be next?

John Burberry, Hambledon,

The pertinent issue at the heart of this case is that the authorities have stated that they have offered the mother assistance inthe form of health appointments and advice. Now for what ever reason these have been missed and so it is falls upon the authorities to ascertain why they were missed and how serious the mother is taking the problem. It appears that this panel is quite preliminary and no actions, especially the child being taken into care, will occur until many people have been consulted. In my opinion it is important that the authorities do have an involvement in this situation. Lets not forget that this is about a child of 8 who weighs 3 times what he should. It would be nice for this child to reach adulthood, but realistically and tragically he may not if his eating habits/dietary issues are not addressed at this early stage.

Michael, Bristol, England

Dear Charles,
I agree that assistance should be offered in the first instance, but it appears here that it has been offered on many occasions and spurned. What this family is doing to their child amounts to abuse. He is already at risk, and physically damaged.

AJ, Oxford, UK

Well, I am pleased that parents are finally getting the blame for the weight of their children, but there has to be a better solution than taking the boy into care. There are many answers - a couple spring to mind - bring back cooking in schools and keep it healthy; help for the parents whose generation missed out on healthy eating education. How about increasing the prices of a loaf of white bread, sugar and burger buns? Encourage parents to eliminate choice for children at the diiner table, small children do not need to be asked what they want to eat.

Gill Catterall, Cordes-sur-Ciel, France

If his ribs were sticking out he should be taken into care, so it seems reasonable to take him into care if he is so grossly overweight. Either way, a child is not being properly looked after.

Barb Garner, Bramhall, Cheshire, England

I think this is a very slippery slope. What next? Will we start taking children into care whose parents are both smokers and in which a child under 15 starts smoking heavily (as some children already do?). Or what about children who roam the streets late at night uder 12 who indulge in sexual activity with their peers resulting in pregnancy?

There are many lifestyle problems which come about as a result of a degree of parental neglect and I'm not sure the best way of dealing with them is to hit the problem with a very big stick. There must be better alternatives and I hope that if they do start proceedings to take the child into care that the courts toss this out. This smacks of some very over zealous social work.

Dr A Lim, Glasgow, UK

what's wrong with giving the Family a diet sheet & leaving up 2 them 2 sort out their health?
taking this child away from his family could see the Government sued over his Human Rights.
& will b darn-sight cheaper than placing obese children in Care!

suzy, clacton, essex UK

Why pick on obese children? they do not harm the rest of us and are unlikely to roam around in gangs terrorising the rest of us and probably growing up to be criminals. Far better to pick out the terraways, or at leas the ringleaders and put them in care. That at least would fulfil the governments primary task: to protect the citizens who appointed them.

R Mason, London, UK

Could be quite a burden on the state.

David L, Leeds, UK

People who can't are won't look after them shouldn''t have them in the first place. Children should be the responsibility of the parents not the state.
It is interesting how the mother seems desperate to keep him but at the same time is basically treating him worse than if she caned him every day.

Kev Lax, Shanghai, China

Hi

Some assistance could be provided to parents in the form of Supernanny or nanny 911 !

Charles Williams, London, England