Boy in court for throwing sausage

LONDON (Reuters) - A 12-year-old boy appeared in court on Wednesday charged with assault for throwing a sausage at a pensioner, police said.

The boy's mother described the decision to charge her son as "an absolute joke", although police said they had no choice.

The youth, who can't be named, was arrested after a 74-year-old man reported him to police for throwing a stone in Manchester.

The object turned out to be a cocktail sausage.

"Charging was the only option because the boy had previously been issued with three reprimands on separate occasions," a Greater Manchester Police spokeswoman said.

"The officer's decision to charge was completely in line with standard procedure and took all available information into consideration."

Police and prosecutors have launched a joint review of the case after a judge at Manchester Youth Court reportedly urged them to reconsider.

"If he has done what was suggested it is very bad behaviour," District Judge Tim Devas was reported as saying in the Manchester Evening News. "But is it in the public interest to prosecute a 12-year-old boy who threw a sausage?"

The boy's mother said her son was worried he might be sent to prison.

"It is beyond belief, an absolute joke," she told the newspaper. I'm disgusted by it. The lad has been in bits panicking about it."