Somerset gimp ‘strikes again’: Man in his 30s is arrested after ‘writhing around in the road and terrifying a female driver while dressed head-to-tow in black leather’
- The alleged incident took place in Bleadon, Somerset after midnight on Monday
- The man was held on suspicion of causing a public nuisance
A man in his 30s has been arrested after ‘writhing on the ground’ and terrifying a female driver while dressed head-to-tow in a black leather ‘gimp’ suit in Somerset.
Avon and Somerset Police said a woman reported seeing a man wearing latex jump out in front of her vehicle on Accommodation Road in Bleadon shortly after midnight on Monday.
The man was held on suspicion of causing a public nuisance after the alleged incident near Weston-super-Mare.
The female driver issued a warning on social media after coming across the man on her journey home, initially thinking it was a badger.
The woman, who did not give her name, said: ‘As soon as I got over the first railway bridge, I noticed something on the ground which I thought was a badger. As I got closer I could see it wasn’t, but in fact a man with a mask on, who was crawling and writhing on the ground.
Reports of a ‘Gimp Man’ being spotted date back a few years. An alleged sighting took place in July 2019
Avon and Somerset Police said a woman reported seeing a man wearing latex jump out in front of her vehicle on Accommodation Road in Bleadon (pictured) shortly after midnight on Monday
‘His mask had two white crosses on his eyes and he was in all black. I have honestly never been so frightened in my entire life and drove away so fast.’
Officers arrived at the scene three minutes after the call was received at 12.07am and detained a man nearby.
He had previously been arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance in the Cleeve, Claverham and Yatton areas last October after a man was seen wearing an all-in-one black rubber suit.
He remains under investigation for those incidents.
Police previously said they had received 14 reports of a man approaching people while wearing disguises, one of which was a black body suit.
Pictured: An alleged sighting of the ‘Gimp Man’ in July 2019. A man was held on suspicion of causing a public nuisance after the alleged incident near Weston-super-Mare on Monday
Inspector Graeme Hall, of the neighbourhood policing team, said: ‘We understand this latest incident may cause the community some concern.
‘We took this morning’s report extremely seriously and had officers on the scene within minutes which ultimately led to the arrest being made.
‘To reassure the community, we will be carrying out extra patrols in the Bleadon area and anyone concerned about this, or any other incident, is encouraged to speak to an officer.’
Police are appealing for anyone who saw a man acting suspiciously in the Bleadon area overnight or has CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage to get in touch.
There were suspected sightings of the man in Claverham in 2021 and in 2019, but police searches for the person responsible came up empty.
Two people were arrested and released without charge.
One person who was targeted in July 2019 managed to get a picture of the supposed ‘Gimp Man’, showing him dressed in an all-black latex suit, with a mask covering his face.
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