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Journalism of Courage
A man who jokingly offered his five-year-old son for sale on the Internet has had to explain himself to police after a complaint from a concerned web surfer.
Police officers visited Alex Wilson at his Scottish home after being alerted by a Canadian woman who spotted the offer on a website selling bicycles and prams, the Times newspaper reported on Friday.
“Hyperactive kid for sale, good at vacuuming, not great at washing dishes because he’s too short,” the advert read. “Guaranteed to annoy. £5 or nearest offer.”
Wilson, 33, of Carrickstone, placed the advertisement as a joke about two years ago to tease his son Liam, now aged seven. He then forgot all about it until he heard from the police, the Times said. “The police officer was quite jokey at the end of the conversation, but said I’d have to remove the advert,” Wilson told the newspaper.
