Children arrested, DNA tested, interrogated and locked up... for playing in a tree

To the 12-year-old friends planning to build themselves a den, the cherry tree seemed an inviting source of material. But the afternoon adventure turned into a frightening ordeal for Sam Cannon, Amy Higgins and Katy Smith after they climbed into the 20ft tree - then found themselves hauled into a police station and locked in cells for up to two hours. Their shoes were removed and mugshots, DNA samples and mouth swabs were taken. Officers told the children they had been seen damaging the tree which is in a wooded area of public land near their homes.

source: Article 'Children arrested, DNA tested, interrogated and locked up... for playing in a tree' by Khushwant Sachdave; www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=397240&in_page_id=1766&in_page_id=1766&expand=true; Daily Mail; 23 July 2006