Derbyshire teen 'arrested' and taken to prom in police van

A teenager who had two years of school disrupted by treatment for a rare cancer said he was delighted to receive a police escort to his prom night.

William was diagnosed with a rare form of Hodgkin Lymphoma at 14, severely affecting his studies at Netherthorpe School in Staveley, Derbyshire.

Following treatment he decided to have some fun by setting up an unusual entrance to his school finale.

The 16-year-old said he enjoyed his arrival even more than the prom itself.

After discovering a lump in his neck two years ago, William was diagnosed with a form of the cancer that had never been seen in the UK before and had a nine-hour operation to remove the nodes.

Following chemotherapy he was given the all-clear, but another scan months later found the cancer had returned.

He is currently awaiting the results of another MRI scan to see if the latest round of treatment has been successful.

It was while preparing for his prom that his plan for a police escort was formed.

After explaining his idea to the local policing team, it was arranged that officers would pretend to arrest him at his home on the night of the prom before driving him to the venue in the back of a police van.

Once there, William was "de-arrested" in front of his fellow pupils and teachers just in time to enjoy the celebrations.

The van was accompanied by a fire engine to create an even bigger spectacle.

William said: "I enjoyed the escort more than the prom and I'm really grateful that the police and fire teams went out of their way to do this for me.

"It's a memory that will last forever for me and my friends and I'm so glad they were able to join in and come with me."

Sgt Mark Church, from the Shirebrook Safer Neighbourhood Team, had the honour of "arresting" the teenager.

"To see the smile on William's face was just wonderful and I'm really grateful to all of the team who got involved," he said.

His mother Helen said: "William has such a dry sense of humour so getting 'arrested' was just this amazing moment for him.

"We could hear everyone saying 'oh my gosh' when he got out of the van with handcuffs on."

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