A Somerset man with a penchant for cosplay crawled in the road and terrified women whilst wearing a gimp suit.
Joshua Hunt, 32, of Claverham, Somerset, was convicted of two offences under section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986 following a trial at Bristol Magistrates' Court on Friday, 27th October 2023.
Under section 4A(1), a person is guilty of an offence if, with the intent to cause a person harassment, alarm or distress, they:
(a) use threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour; or
(b) display any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting,
thereby causing that or another person harassment, alarm or distress.
The maximum penalty on summary conviction is 26 weeks' custody and/or an unlimited fine.
In a statement, Lucy Lodge told the court that she was driving on Accommodation Road, Bleadon, near Weston-super-Mare, on the late evening of Sunday, 7th May 2023.
She came across a dark-dressed figure crawling along the road in a military fashion. She described the figure as wearing tight clothing and a mask, with cross-shaped eye holes cut into the material.
Ms Lodge said: "The whole incident felt so surreal, and I was questioning myself about what I was seeing and making this statement makes me feel anxious.
"I genuinely believed it was an abduction because you read about this in the newspapers. When I got home I was breathing heavily and I was having a borderline panic attack."
The court heard that Hunt was arrested in Bleadon in the early hours of Tuesday, 9th May 2023 when police responded to a second incident on Accommodation Road.
On that occasion motorist Samantha Brown had been in the company of her sister-in-law when they rounded the bend to find a figure dressed in "a dark, shiny suit" crawling along the road.
Officers arrived promptly and found Hunt sitting in his van close to where the incident had occurred. A search of his van uncovered his gimp toolkit, with further items being recovered from his home later on.
Hunt told one of the officers: "I'm not dangerous, I am a normal person, I have a few problems".
An examination of Hunt's devices revealed he had conducted web searches on the terms "Somerset Gimp" and "Gimp of Cleeve".
Hunt had denied the offences on the basis that he did not intend his behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
He explained that he lay on the road with the intention of committing suicide and it never occurred to him that his actions would alarm anyone else.
Hunt said he was in a state of mental turmoil, which made him have very low self-esteem and behave in the manner described. He was undergoing counselling in an effort to resolve his difficulties.
Having considered the evidence, District Judge Joanna Dickens was of the view that Hunt was guilty of both offences.
He was fined £100 and ordered to pay a total of £600 in compensation and £620 in prosecution costs.
He was also made subject to an interim sexual risk order.
Addressing Hunt, DJ Dickens said: "I accept that you have already received punishment and spent time in prison and lost your good character in a very public way and no doubt affecting you for the remainder of your life."
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