‘Too fat’ girl of 12 taken off her mum by court

She could lose custody for good

A GIRL of 12 who was found to be “dangerously” overweight has been taken from her mum.

She was placed in foster care after doctors raised concerns for her health with social workers.

And the local council started legal proceedings against the mother, who could lose custody permanently.

Details of the case emerged in a family court ruling by Judge Clifford Bellamy, based in Leicester.

He heard a doctor who examined the girl a few months ago said her body mass index was at a “dangerously high level”. The youngster, who cannot be named and whose weight is not known, is awaiting a decision.

More evidence will be heard at a new hearing ahead of a ruling.

Figures show a third of primary school leavers are overweight. It also emerged last year that 600 children have type 2 diabetes, normally only seen in over-40s. Public Health England has asked parents to use the traffic lights guide on food packaging that indicates levels of sugar, salt and fat. It also plans to cut the recommended daily calorie intake from 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men to 1,800 for both. But there are no guidelines for children and campaigners want that to change. Obesity is defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile in children and teens. An average girl of 12 is obese if her BMI is over 25 – weighing more than 9st. Last year, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver accused Theresa May of not caring about childhood obesity. He hit out after a watered-down version of a strategy he worked on with David Cameron to tackle the crisis was published.