Police investigating after video of child being 'forced' to have her ears pierced goes viral

The clip, which was uploaded over the weekend by a Sheffield mum to her personal Facebook page, shows a distressing scene unfolding at ‘Lovisa’ in Meadowhall.

It appears to show a little girl struggling against having her ears pierced.

Two adult women sitting on the floor both hold the child still and try to comfort her as a member of staff pierces her ears. Another member of staff watches on.

The girl shrieks and says “no no no” multiple times during the 30-second video.

The clip, which has been widely viewed and circulated, has been met with anger by viewers who were concerned by the upset girl’s protests. One parent wrote she felt “physically sick” while watching.

A statement from South Yorkshire Police said: "We are aware of a video circulating on social media of a child having their ears’ pierced at a store in Meadowhall on Sunday 17th October."

PC Craig Crew of the Meadowhall policing team, added: “We have watched this footage and understand why many viewers find it concerning. My team and I are now carrying out enquiries with the staff at the store to understand the full circumstances of what happened.

"I am really keen to trace the owner of the footage, so if this is you, or you know who it is, please get in touch.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident number 1009 of 18 October.