No action to be taken over child cage fight

The national governing body for martial arts has called for a ban on child cage fighting, as police said they would not take action against the organisers of a fight broadcast on YouTube.

Two boys, aged eight and nine, were filmed wrestling in a cage at Greenlands Labour Club in Preston, watched by about 250 adults on 10 September.

The Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt described the fight as barbaric, and Joe Ellis, chairman of the National Association of Karate and Martial Art Schools, warned of the risks of a fatality. Mr Ellis said: "We don't want to see any cage fighting of mixed martial arts or any full contact karate for children under the age of 18."

The club owner, Michelle Anderson, 39, defended the event, saying the boys had never been put in danger. Lancashire Police said they had looked into the safety issues and found nothing to pursue.