A mother claimed her teenage son was held overnight at Sutton police station without receiving medical attention for a head wound.

Jenny Crewe, 45, said she turned up the next morning to find her son Gary, 15, soaked in blood and suffering from suspected concussion.

The schoolboy had called 999 for assistance after being grabbed by a man angry about damage to his car wing mirror in North Cheam.

He was arrested with three friends but later released when another boy confessed to the vehicle damage.

This week Mrs Crewe, from Sutton, said: “When Gary saw the police coming he was relieved because he thought they would help. Instead, he was kept overnight in a cell.

“Police assured me he would see a doctor that night. But Gary did not have his head injuries checked until 8am the next morning, and the doctor neglected to clean or dress a large wound on my son’s elbow.

“Following his release, I took him to St Helier Hospital, where a doctor said he should have been brought straight to accident and emergency if a forensic medical examiner was unavailable on the night of the arrest.

“I felt I had to speak out because I am worried about what will happen to the next poor so-and-so. If my son’s injuries had been slightly more serious, he could have died.”

Mrs Crewe is also unhappy the alleged attacker is not being prosecuted for the incident at 11pm on June 27.

Police said there had been a struggle and the man was entitled to use reasonable force to detain a suspect. A risk-assessment of the teenager’s injuries was conducted on the night.

A police spokeswoman said: “I can confirm a 15-year-old boy was arrested and taken to Sutton police station on June 27. The incident is being investigated and we cannot comment further at this stage.”

The Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) has already told Mrs Crewe that a lack of independent witnesses and CCTV footage could restrict its investigation.

In a letter, the DPS said: “In respect of the delay in contacting the doctor, were I find to any faults on the part of the officer concerned, then this is unlikely to merit any more than management action.”

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