The Scapegoat - Part Three..

The Scapegoat – Part Three

I walked into the police station for the very first time. I went to the desk and said I was here to be in an interview with my son Daniel, who was arrested last night. I was told to take a seat. I sat next to a woman who I didn’t know.....

Ten minutes later I was taken to another part of the station. It was very cold in this section, VERY cold! I was told to take a seat and Daniel would be with me in a minute. Two minutes later Daniel was next to me, he didn’t have his own clothes on but different ones; it was a plain t-shirt, jogging bottoms and pumps. I showed the police the items in my bag and asked him if I could give them to Daniel he replied, “No it’s not allowed” I replied, “OK, I understand”.

I asked Daniel why he had not called us, he said, “They had taken his phone, and he’d given them our phone number and they said they would ring you” I told them, “No one rang us, until we rang them at 1am! And that they had rang us back at 1.25am.” I got up and went to the desk that was a few feet away and said to the woman behind the computer, “My son was arrested last night, no one rang us to tell us where he was or what had happened to him,” she asked for his name and checked on her computer and said, “That is correct, no one rang you, that was our mistake, I am sorry, someone should have rang.” I went back and sat next to Daniel and said, “Have you been to the loo since you have been here” he said, “No, no one said I could,” I was horrified!!!! I went back to the desk and said, “My son had NOT been to the loo since he had been here from yesterday!!!!!” She asked another police man to take him to the loo. I just sat there, shaking my head! Unbelievable!!! The child is 15!!!! It’s his first time been arrested!

I then said to Daniel, “It’s very cold in here, he said, “It’s even colder in the cell, the air condition blew on me all night, I had no sleep.” He said, “Where we are sitting now, it is not as cold, as the cell.”   

I asked him what he’d eaten since he was here he said, he’d been given a small plastic cup with weak juice in and an oat breakfast bar! I found out later he had been arrested, 18.30pm the evening before! And in all that time he had not been to the loo or had anything to eat! When I’d arrived the following morning after his arrest I’d been told he was, “Having breakfast.” Well I don’t class an oat bar as breakfast! I asked a policeman who came over to me, if it would be possible for him to have something to eat before the interview and explained what he’d been given while in their care. He said, “Yes he’d sort it out right away”, and asked Daniel if he liked curry, he said, “Yes” and a microwave curry was given to him and he ate his first meal in fifteen hours! Shame on them!! They wouldn't have treated an illegal immigrant or criminal that way! They would have made sure that they'd had plenty to eat and drink! But on the bright side, hopefully this rubbish experience would make him not want to go there again!!!   

They asked me if I had a solicitor\lawyer I told them “No,” they said they would provide Daniel with one free, and that the lawyer would speak to the police involved, then Daniel and myself, He told Daniel to say, “No comment” As it was my first time too, I didn’t know if this was right or wrong, I had to trust him. I didn't like the look of him, but can you tell a book by it's cover? They all told us a very serious crime had been committed and Daniel was in a lot of trouble!

So now it was the actual interview. "No comment," to every question asked! So what IS the point of the interview? After that his DNAwas taken, he was told (as I had to be there with him as he was SO young) that from today anywhere in the world that he went, they would be able clear his name or find him guilty, as now they have his DNA. The same policeman took his finger prints, palms and even the sides of his hands all by scanning! Finally his photos, were taken, many of them, It was explained to us that his photo would be use as a line-up without him been there and before it was used the lawyer would have to look at it to make sure it was OK, so that it wasn't too close up etc making him stand out compared to the others in the line-up. I was then told to wait outside again in the reception; and it was there I met her.....