A schoolboy faces a lifelong 'criminal record' after a police helicopter and riot van were scrambled to hunt him down - when he accidentally kicked a football at a greenhouse.
Tom Clarke, 15, was horrified when he miskicked the ball and it looped over a garden fence and smashed a greenhouse window pane.
Just 30 minutes later, a police helicopter was spotted hovering above the house using thermal imaging cameras to search for him.
Two patrol cars and a riot van were also dispatched to search nearby gardens in Chalgrove, Oxfordshire, on foot.
A pair of uniformed officers eventually tracked Tom down and he apologised to the greenhouse owner.
But days later, Thames Valley Police sent a letter to Tom's father telling him his son had 'accepted responsibility for criminal damage'.
Police said the incident was not a conviction but would be informally 'recorded for future reference' and could count against him by future employers carrying out extensive CRB checks.
Tom may now be considered unsuitable for jobs involving children and young people when he applies for work in the future.
The letter also warned Tom he could face an ASBO if his 'behaviour does not improve'.
However the owner of the greenhouse, Bobby Cellar, 67, said she was happy to see 'justice done'.
She said: 'I've had enough. Someone could have been in the greenhouse at the time and got hurt.
'In my mind it's criminal damage and that's the law, I just wanted to see justice done.'
Yesterday, as it emerged that the police operation had cost in the region of £2,500, Tom's furious father, bus driver Darrin, 42, branded their reaction 'extremely heavy-handed'.
He said: 'Tom is a good lad, he's never been in trouble with the police or at school and he works hard.
