Penis poster exhibitionist hunted by police
An exhibitionist who has been posting photographs of his private parts adorned with a yellow ribbon is being hunted by police in the genteel East Sussex town of Lewes.
By Alastair Jamieson
Published: 8:36AM BST 22 Jul 2010
<!-- google_ad_section_end(name=story_introduction) -->
Officers have seized several large images posted in car parks and close to schools. The A3 and A4-sized posters, in colour and black-and-white versions, show a penis with a yellow bow tied around it.
Investigators have interviewed staff at offices close to where the images were found and have taken fingerprints from the posters. One line of inquiry is that the photographs may be a bizarre protest, as some include a caption about "fees set to rise later this year". A Sussex Police spokesman said the "budding photographer" has "failed to impress local police".
He said: "We are aware of these posters and a local PCSO has removed a few, but we have not received any formal complaints. "However, we are concerned that the posters have appeared quite close to local schools and they may well cause offence or distress. However, from what we've seen, if this is a self-portrait, the artist won't be in a hurry to be identified."
Police said posters have been found in three areas, around County Hall, The Paddock and The Pells. One Lewes officer worker said the graphic posters have appeared several times over the past fortnight. Writing on an internet message board, he said: "This may not be unusual in Brighton, but for Lewes it will probably mean armageddon."
