DAD OUTS VANDAL SON
A Seaham lad who was outed as a vandal by his own father is thriving after being given a second chance to turn his life around.
After a bus stop was smashed up in Seaham, Arthur Ord said he was ‘embarrassed’ when he realised his own son was the culprit.
But instead of brushing it under the carpet, Arthur outed his own son, 13-yearold Lucas, on social media before taking him to the police.
Police say Lucas is now making good progress with the Youth Offending Service and is becoming a keen participant in his local boxing club.
Shaun Morton, who runs Seaham Boxing Club, messaged Arthur to invite Lucas to join after seeing the situation unfold on social media.
Arthur, of Seaham, said: “I saw a photograph for some criminal damage and I realised it was my son.
“I felt quite embarrassed about it so what I did then was put my own post up just to admit that it was my boy.
“It was very hard to do it but something drastic had to happen.
“He just needed to be stopped in his tracks and I believe hopefully that I’ve done that.”
Durham Constabulary were able to interview and work with Lucas through the youth offending service and give him a second chance.
Shaun Morton said: “We’ve all been young and we’ve all made mistakes.
“It’s about not letting those mistakes define the rest of your life and learning from them mistakes.
“Hopefully this is the start of Lucas learning from his mistakes and getting involved in the club.
“Hopefully he will be one of our harder fighters and going out and competing.”
The club was set up by Seaham Neighbourhood Policing Team in January with assistance and financial support from partners.
Inspector Rachel Stockdale said: "Sometimes the best way to change someones behaviour is to offer them a second chance.
"Since the club has been set up, we've seen reductions of anti-social behaviour in the Seaham area of over 30%.
"It's giving young people a chance to come together around a shared interest, learn some really key life skills, and have an alternative to causing a nuisance in the community."