British Officials May Take Custody Of Overweight Boy

British Officials May Take Custody Of Overweight Boy


LONDON -- Authorities are considering taking an 8-year-old boy who weighs 218 pounds into protective custody unless his mother improves his diet, officials said Monday.

Social service officials will meet with family members Tuesday to discuss the health of Connor McCreaddie, who weighs more than three times the average for his age.

"The worst case would be Connor getting taken into care. He is well cared for," the boy's mother, Nicola McKeown, told ITV television.

A spokeswoman for health officials in Wallsend, North Tyneside, 300 miles north of London, said the hearing was part of a process that could eventually lead to Connor being taken into protective care. She declined to comment further.

The health agencies organizing the meeting said they "have been working with the family over a prolonged period of time and will continue to do so."

Officials would not say whether Connor suffered from a medical condition that led to his obesity, citing privacy issues.

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