Dressed entirely in black, he crawled around “in a military fashion”.
The man, hidden behind a gimp mask, is now being sentenced after terrorizing several women in British Somerset.
– When I saw the person, I felt pure terror, says one of the man’s victims.
It was on May 7 in the town of Bleadon that a woman suddenly saw a masked and completely black-clad individual, who began “crawling as if in a military manner”, reports The Telegraph.
– I could see that the person was wearing very tight, dark clothes and had a mask on his face. The mask was dark and very tight, with two white crosses where the eyes should be, she says in a statement.
– My first thought was that it could be a possible kidnapping attempt and that the person was trying to get me out of my car. It was terrifying, even though I only saw him for a few seconds, she continues.
“Pure horror”
Two days later, the figure appeared on the streets of Bleadon again, writes The Telegraph – and another woman was victimized.
– When I saw the person, I felt pure terror. When I got home I was shaking and crying. Anything could have happened. He had his hands behind his back and could have been holding anything, says the woman.
Another two days later, on May 11, the police were able to arrest a 32-year-old man in the area.
Gardener with mental problems
The man, who works as a gardener, claimed in police interviews that he is not a gimp, does not own a gimp suit and has never worn one – but the findings in his van prove otherwise.
Now the 32-year-old is sentenced to a fine of around 1,000 kroner and to pay the vulnerable women 2,000 kroner each in damages, for “deliberately causing distress”.
During the trial, the man stated that he suffers from mental problems. He explained that he usually goes out at night and changes into black clothes and then covers himself in mud in what he described as “self-loathing”, and to alleviate negative thoughts.