SMILES AGAIN: Young Thomas Apter with mum Sarah and dad John.

WHEN policeman's son Thomas Apter contracted a potentially deadly disease, his parents feared the worst.

The five-week-old had no resistance because of his tender age and doctors warned he would be too weak to fight off the meningitis.

But thanks to the quick actions of his parents, who rushed him to hospital, the tot pulled through.

And now the youngster's plight has touched the hearts of an entire Hampshire police station. Virtually the whole of yellow shift at Southampton Central is taking part in a sponsored jailbreak today to raise cash for the National Meningitis Trust.

The fund-raiser was inspired by little Thomas who nearly died from the deadly brain disease last November. Now smiling Thomas - the son of Pc John Apter - is the pic-ture of health. But at one stage his condition was critical.

Area car driver John, who has served with Hampshire police for the past seven years, said Thomas had woken up inconsolable one morn-ing.

He was lethargic, had breath-ing difficulties and refused to eat. Things went downhill rapidly and Thomas was rushed to hospi-tal on the advice of a GP.

John, 30, of Chandler's Ford, said: "The hospital staff grabbed him off us the minute we got there and gave him a shot of antibiotics.

"Within an hour they had told us it was meningitis and that the next 24 hours would be critical." John's wife Sarah, 29, added: "We just thought he was going to die. We sat up all night cuddling him."

Luckily Thomas - who had not developed a tell-tale rash - pulled through because the disease was spotted early enough and the antibiotics worked.

And now John is raising cash for the Meningitis Trust as a "thank you'' for it support. And little Thomas has quickly become a role model for successful recoveries from the disease. Already, he has been a guest on the Richard and Judy show, Classic FM and met a string of celebrities.

Now John has decided to pull out the stops by organising a jailbreak, with just about everyone at Central pledging sponsorship.

The team taking part includes Sergeant Kevin Dennis and Pcs Frazer Davey, Mark Lewis, Jon Hutchinson, Ben Stoneley, Jane Crocker, Sam Weller, Sue Adams, Nicki Prior, Julie Wolliscroft, Richard Hunter-Inglis and Anne Frenchman. With South Today anchor-man Andrew Harvey, the team left the station with the aim of getting as far as they can in the day.

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