More on KentOnline
Home Canterbury News Article
Obscene footage of a woman stripping naked yards from a Canterbury school and in a popular children’s play area in broad daylight has been uploaded to the internet.
It shows her exposing herself to passing traffic, urinating next to ancient ruins in the Westgate Gardens and committing a sex act in public.
Most shockingly of all, the film shows her in an alleyway in St Peter’s Grove – 100 yards from the entrance of St Peter’s Primary School.
It is not clear whether it was a school day.
Canterbury City Council has branded the videos “extremely unpleasant”.
Its head of safer neighbourhoods, Doug Rattray, said: “It’s sad that our lovely public areas should be used in this way and we’d urge people to treat them with respect rather than degrade them like this.
“We conduct late-evening enforcement patrols and staff issue fixed penalty notices to anyone caught doing this.
“In recent months we have issued a total of seven fixed penalty notices for urination, to both males and females.”
A handful of different videos are available on various public nudity websites and appear under the title of ‘Canterbury Gothic public nudity’.
In one scene the woman performs a sex act next to the bridge over the section of the Stour which runs under the Rheims Way between the Wincheap and St Peter’s roundabouts.
Dad Ben Tophill lives 100 yards away in the Tannery development with his wife and daughter.
“Quite frankly, I’m staggered,” the 38-year-old said.
"They’re obviously only doing it to satisfy their fetish, but the problem would be if someone quite unsuspecting came across them and was disturbed at the sight of it all" - Ben Tophill
“It’s not the worst thing in the world that someone could do – and I’m amazed anyone would want to do it.
“I guess there are people who get their kicks in life in some very weird ways.
“They’re obviously only doing it to satisfy their fetish, but the problem would be if someone quite unsuspecting came across them and was disturbed at the sight of it all.”
Other videos show her being walked along the bridge on all-fours with a dog lead around her neck and being groped by a man taking part in the videos on the Dane John Mound.
On each occasion she wears a long black coat before exposing herself. Twice members of the public are seen to stumble upon her and the cameraman and she quickly covers up.
In one scene she exposes her behind to traffic on the A2 slip road at Harbledown close to the London Road roundabout.
The video is believed to have been uploaded onto the internet in 2013, but it is not clear when it was filmed.
Police say residents should call them if they are worried about such behaviour.
Spokesman Sally Smith said: “Nudity in public could fall under several offence categories such as indecent exposure, outraging public decency or causing a public nuisance.
“If someone sees an offence in progress we would recommend they contact us and the incident will be investigated. People caught urinating in public face an £80 fine. If someone fails to pay a fine, they will be summoned to court.
“Residents should not have to put up with their local community being used as a public toilet, and should officers see this offensive behaviour while on patrol, they will not hesitate in taking action and fine the person responsible.”