A Ukip councillor has sparked outrage after he "publicly humiliated" a six-year-old child.
David Meacock is said to have sent out an eyebrow-raising group email accusing a small child of taking his son's toy, according to reports.
Meacock, a former Tory and newly selected parliamentary candidate for Nigel Farage's party, instigated the "unkind and unnecessary" war of the words over a missing toy, Get Bucks reports.
The Chiltern District councillor for Chalfont Common, who was named last week as the party’s parliamentary candidate for Wycombe in the 2015 General Election, thought it only appropriate to name and shame a child for taking his son’s toy and not giving it back in a group email, the paper said.
However, those in the group of 23 parents CC'd into the email did not take kindly to receiving the correspondence.
The email read:
“Hello everyone, Unfortunately [child’s name and year group] failed to return one of [Mr Meacock’s son’s] toys yesterday, which he had previously taken off [Mr Meacock’s son] as [the child] had agreed to do and as instructed.
“I’d therefore be most grateful if any of you who have contact details of [the child’s] parents could please ask them to either email me or call me to arrange the return of [son’s name] toy.
“With thanks for your help and wishing you a happy and chocolatey Easter. David.”
One outraged parent condemned the councillor for ruining the Easter spirit.
“What an unkind and unnecessary email! Not at all an appropriate Easter sentiment. Since we are no longer at the school please remove me from the email list with immediate effect," the reply read.
The parent went on to object to “being made party to the public humiliation of a young child”.
In the email chain, he added that “more naming and shaming” would perhaps result in less delinquency and “young lives being wasted”.
But furious parents said they failed to see how singling out the boy in an email chain "is a good example to your children.”
The toy is yet to be retrieved, according to the councillor.
A Ukip spokeswoman told the Huffington Post UK that the matter was not one for the party to comment on.
Ukip have previously caused outrage after a councillor reportedly branded children in care “takers” from society.