Santa Claus arrested, Christmas in crisis

In this undated file photo, Santa is seen grooming a young victim

The future of Christmas is in doubt today as the world reacts to the news that Santa Claus has been arrested on child porn charges. Last night an Interpol spokesman informed the media that a man described as a “200 year old fictional characterisation of traditional festive goodwill” had been taken into custody and charged with the possession and distribution of indecent images of minors.

The man’s North Pole home was yesterday raided by police and several computers were seized along with a large sack of toys. A number of elves were also taken into custody, but later released without charge.

In a prepared statement delivered to the press by his legal team, Santa described his arrest as a terrible mistake: “I can assure you all that this has been a dreadful misunderstanding - I was only looking at those pictures to see which little girls and boys had been naughty or nice.”

If found guilty, Santa faces up to twenty years in prison and will be listed on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.