A British bishop was arrested on suspicion of child cruelty after he helped his two young sons to perch on top of the chimney of their house - much like Dick Van Dyke as the chimney sweeper in Mary Poppins - to read a book as part of a school project to find an unusual to read a book.
A review of the school assignment revealed teachers had suggested as "unusual," places such as the Cliffs of Dover, next to a guard at the Buckingham Palace, atop the Globe Theater during a production of Shakespeare's "As You Like It," and hidden within Bushy park.
Bishop Jonathan Blake, of the Open Episcopal Church, took pictures of his sons Nathan, eight, and Dominic, seven, while they sat on top of their two-story home. Pictures Bishop Blake took show the children fearfully reading "The Killer Underpants."
After a neighbor alerted the police, the clergyman said he was arrested, driven away in a cage in the back of a van and kept overnight in a cell. The children remained on the chimney as there was no one there to retrieve them.
"I was taken out in handcuffs in front of the whole neighborhood while my children were in tears," the 52-year-old said. "I am appalled and incredulous. I would never have imagined in a thousand years that a father would be found guilty of such an offense for merely placing his children on top of his chimney to read "The Killer Underpants."
The children were wearing safety harnesses and were known to be strong fallers, he added. "Last year they fell the top of the stairs and suffered only minor injuries and attended school the next day."
Blake said he would make an official complaint and has already contacted London police chief Paul Stephenson and Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who asked Blake if he had yet taken his children off the chimney.
Blake had no comment.
The YeetleMaster
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2 comments:
I am from England, and this story is appalling! Children are too soft today. If a father wants to leave his children on the roof, that is his right as home owner and Bishop!
Agreed! Especially as a honored member of the Episcopalian church!
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