THE family of a 15-year-old east Hull boy locked up overnight by police are demanding a public apology after claiming officers "mistook his identity".

Joshua Stevens' distraught mother and father have criticised the officers who they say wrongly arrested him in connection with an alleged attack on a 14-year-old girl.

They say a senior police officer investigating their complaint has admitted the Humberside force "messed up".

But when the Mail tried contacting the officer we were told no-one would be commenting on the matter.

Joshua's father Alan Stevens, 36, said: "I can't believe my son has been put through this."

He went on to claim that he has been told by the force that mistakes were made.

He said: "I'm certain something has gone horribly wrong, I have been told that by one of the officers, I was told someone had messed up.

"I think we should have a public apology. My son did nothing wrong and the police now accept that."

Joshua, a pupil at Archbishop Sentamu Academy, was arrested at about 7pm on Wednesday evening at the family home on Kyffin Avenue, east Hull.

Joshua, described by teachers as "a lovely lad" spent the night in a cell at Priory Road police station, had his fingerprints taken, a DNA sample swabbed from his mouth, and was photographed for a mug shot.

He was not released until yesterday morning, at about 10am.

Joshua said: "It was horrible – being treated like a criminal when I knew that I had done nothing wrong whatsoever, but no-one would believe me."

The Mail asked to speak to the officer who is investigating the claim of wrongful arrest but we were told by Matthew Wright, a divisional campaigns officer, that another officer – Chief Inspector Kai Adegbembo – had said that no-one would be available for comment.

Mr Wright confirmed that three 15-year-old boys were arrested in connection with a sexual assault on a 14-year-old girl.

One was released with no further action, the other two were released on police bail until the end of January pending further inquiries.