Suffolk lord makes citizen's arrest

A SUFFOLK lord who made a citizen's arrest on a boy for allegedly throwing the peer's bike to the ground last night called for “unacceptable” behaviour to be tackled head-on.

Lord Andrew Phillips claimed he was subjected to a tirade of foul language by a group of boys before one threw his bike on the ground after he asked them to stop riding cycles on a narrow stretch of path.

The peer grabbed the boy by the scruff of the neck in front of passers-by in the middle of Sudbury town centre.

Last night he defended his actions, saying: “This was certainly not brave, it was just a small gesture towards a community standing up for itself and knowing you can't leave it to the police.

“This kind of behaviour is something I feel very strongly about - you can't just pass on by and hope things will get better. I think this highlights the absence of beat officers which is unhelpful to put it mildly.”

The drama on the Market Hill unfolded shortly after 1pm yesterday.

As the youngster, believed to be about ten years old, protested his innocence and his friends told the peer to “get off”, Lord Phillips asked a passer-by to call the police with an officer arriving within minutes.

Lord Phillips said: “I first saw the youngsters biking along the narrow path from the Borehamgate Precinct and told them that they couldn't ride there as it could be dangerous for young mums with prams.

“They swore at me but it was nothing more than small change from some silly boys. But when I saw them then throw my bike on the floor, I thought 'I'm not having that'.

“This not just a problem in Sudbury, this is a problem everywhere although our town does have its fair and share of this type of behaviour and it is unacceptable. These boys were not wicked, they just need to realise there are rules you have to stick by.”

A spokesman for Suffolk police said an officer spoke with the group of youngsters.

But he added: “With the introduction of Safer Neighbourhood Teams right across the county, our aim is to target, in partnership with other agencies, anti-social behaviour and incidents which cause problems for local problem. We also want to bolster our high-visibility, frontline presence in towns right across Suffolk.”