M4 siege man to be questioned

The semi-naked man carried the child to officers

An armed man who held a two-year-old boy in a van on the M4 for 32 hours has been transferred to the custody of Devon and Cornwall police for questioning.

The 45-year-old was transferred into their custody by Wiltshire police on Sunday after the lengthy stand-off ended peacefully.

He had earlier walked out of the vehicle, dressed in only his underpants and long socks, and carrying the child in his arms.

He handed the child to a woman police officer, kissing him briefly before being wrapped in a blanket and escorted to a police van.

The motorway was closed in both directions between junctions 16 and 17 from early Saturday to Sunday afternoon, causing huge traffic problems in the area.

The man was wrapped in a blanket and taken into custody

Wiltshire police spokesman Steve Coxhead told the BBC he was "very pleased" with the results of the operation.

"It totally justifies the tactics used by the force in respect of patience and negotiation, and of course totally justifies also the fact that the motorway has had to be closed for all this period of time."

He admitted the negotiations had been "difficult".

"These things are always difficult - protracted long periods of time have to go by and very, very delicate discussions. So yes, difficult for everyone involved."

A police spokeswoman said the child was taken to a local hospital for a check-up, but is believed to be safe and well.

The incident began late on Friday night, when Devon and Cornwall police officers visited a caravan park in Sennen, near Land's End, Cornwall.

Negotiations continued throughout the night on Sunday

A spokesman polic had earlier spotted the man with a weapon, and withdrew "so as not to exacerbate the situation or put the child in danger".

The man, who was believed to have a gun, was then pursued by police through several counties as he drove away displaying "unusual driving tactics".

He eventually stopped on the M4 near Swindon at about 0100BST on Saturday, after running out of petrol, and armed police began negotiating with him.

Food and drink were delivered to the man throughout Saturday by police.

The camper van was halted after running out of petrol

Officers set up a landline to maintain constant phone contact with the man as negotiations continued round the clock.

One onlooker said that when the man came out there had been no apparent warning or increase in police activity.

A spokeswoman said the man volunteered to strip down to his underwear before coming out so he could not conceal any weapons.