South Yorkshire Police have confirmed they were reviewing footage after being made aware of a clip showing a man appearing to bite a young boy’s ear at the World Snooker Championships.
The incident was captured live on BBC during the channel’s coverage of the Triple Crown event.
Pundits Stephen Hendry and John Parrott were analysing the day’s action in front of a live studio audience, with dozens standing behind them.
But eagle-eyed viewers were left disgusted when they spotted a man lean into a young boy’s neck and put his ear in his mouth.
The man leaned into the young boy’s neck and appeared to bite his ear
BBC
The boy seemed unfazed by the exchange and immediately spotted the TV camera pointing towards him as he smiled and waved.
The man pulled back from the young boy’s neck and also smiled to the camera.
The incident was shared on social media with the clip being seen by millions.
The South Yorkshire Police confirmed on social media that they had been contacted over the clip.
They wrote on X: “We can confirm we have received reports to inform us of this video.”
The South Yorkshire Police added in a statement to GB News: “Yesterday, Thursday 25 April at 9:20pm, we received a call to inform us of a video circulating on social media of a man and a boy at the Winter Gardens in Sheffield.
“We are aware of the footage and officers will be reviewing the content. We would encourage the public not to speculate about the footage and the circumstances surrounding the content.”
But the clip has caused fury on social media with many expressing their horror at what they had seen.
One X user wrote: “This just made me mad.”
The two saw they were on camera after the incident
BBC
Another posted: “I just threw up.”
A third said: “Please tell me this is fake.”
One other message read: “What did I watch!?”
Another wrote: “What the heck is this? Gross!”
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The South Yorkshire Police have confirmed they’re reviewing the footage
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The incident occurred while Hendry was reviewing the start of the last-16 clash between Robert Milkins and David Gilbert.
The punditry team appeared unaware of what happened behind them with the two continuing to be in view behind the seven-time world champion.
At one moment, the man got his phone out to record the BBC punditry team.
