“Freeze! Fancy Dress Enforcement Squad!”

Speaking to the newspaper, Charlie said: "They said my truncheon - which I'd specially shortened - was a lethal weapon."

"I was in bits. I told them, 'we're just having fun - I do this all the time'. But they told me to free Darren and took me to a room. They demanded my name and address - everything."

OK, I admit, I rather lost it at the ‘shortened truncheon’ remark… *stifles giggles*

It seems the police concern is not so much for the hideous consequences to society of letting a dwarf run around handcuffed to a man dressed as a horse at a racecourse, but for the fact that he used official police equipment:

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said … “The items were genuine police issue, the baton being a prohibited item and capable of inflicting serious injuries on a person. The handcuffs were also law enforcement issue, supplied only to those with powers of detention and arrest. ”

And absolutely not to be used for fun, ever! It might bring the police into disrepute, by God! And we can't have that. These days, it's their job to do that...

“There was no reason for the man to be in possession of police equipment as replica items are widely available for fancy dress purposes. While we have no doubt that the prank was good-spirited and well-intentioned, we must take the safety of members of the public seriously.”

The 'safety' concerns being...what? He's a dwarf!