A GREAT Harwood man had a stag party to remember when a dwarf he was handcuffed to was warned of arrest for impersonating a police officer.

Darren Rogers, from Church Street, was cuffed to the ‘imitation’ officer, in a pre-wedding prank.

The pair were quizzed for 45 minutes after actor Charlie, who is 4ft 5in tall, and was dressed as a cop, was stopped by officers at York races.

Darren, who was himself dressed as a horse, said: “They told him he could be mistaken for a real officer. I asked them if they were for real. He was four feet tall and handcuffed to a pantomime horse.”

Charlie was forced to hand over a ‘genuine issue’ police baton and four sets of handcuffs, both of which are prohibited items, police said.

Darren said: “When we got to the races my friends dressed me as a horse, and I thought I’d got away lightly.

“But then I felt a handcuff on my arm and heard ‘you’re under arrest’. It was hard to see in the horse’s head but I couldn’t see anybody at eye level. Then I looked down and saw him.”

But 20 minutes later, two real policeman arrived, threatened the dwarf with arrest, and confiscated his items, Darren said.

The 28-year-old added: “We paid him £450 for the full day but we only had him for an hour because we let him go home. He looked so despondent. It will make a great speech at my wedding in Kenya in four weeks. Initially I was annoyed but I was going to have to be cuffed to him for the full day.”

A police spokesman said: “There was no reason for the man to be in possession of police equipment as replica items are widely available for fancy dress purposes.

“We have no doubt that the prank was good-spirited and well-intentioned, but we must take the safety of members of the public seriously.”

But Darren said: “It’s not what the officers said on the day. The truncheon was shortened for a dwarf and the handcuffs were bought off eBay.”