An urgent police search has been launched for a mystery man caught on CCTV walking through a Lancashire village wearing nothing but a face mask and trainers.
Lancashire Police are hunting the unidentified figure after home security cameras captured him prowling the streets of Lytham at approximately 12:50am on Friday, 18 July. The incident has sparked comparisons to the notorious “Somerset Gimp” case, in which a man terrorised female drivers whilst wearing a latex suit in 2022.
Fylde Rural Task Force confirmed they are “taking this matter seriously” after the footage emerged on social media, showing the naked individual walking past houses in the coastal town near Blackpool. The man appeared to be wearing what residents described as a “gimp mask” along with trainers, but no other clothing.
CCTV Captures Disturbing Footage
We are aware of a concerning video circulating on social media of a naked male wearing a face covering walking around Lytham in the early hours of the morning,” a Lancashire Police spokesperson said. “This occurred in the area of Westby Street, Cleveland Road and Bannister Street.”
The force revealed the incident was not initially reported to police and only came to their attention after the footage went viral on Facebook. Despite initial social media claims suggesting the incident occurred on 31 July, police confirmed it took place on 18 July at 12:50am.
Residents captured the nude figure on their Ring doorbell cameras and home CCTV systems as he walked along the quiet residential streets. One shocked homeowner described checking their security footage in the morning to discover the unexpected visitor.
“It’s not quite what you expect when you wake up and check your cameras in the morning,” one resident told local media.
Door-to-Door Enquiries Launched
Fylde Rural Task Force officers are currently conducting house-to-house enquiries and reviewing CCTV footage from the area. Police have urged anyone with information or relevant security camera footage to contact them via email at FyldeRTF@lancashire.police.uk.
“Fylde Rural Task Force are currently conducting CCTV and house-to-house inquiries and would like to reassure you that we are taking this matter seriously,” the spokesperson added.
The search for the mystery man continues, with police appealing for witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious in the Westby Street, Cleveland Road and Bannister Street areas during the early hours of 18 July.
Echoes of Somerset Gimp Case
The incident has drawn inevitable comparisons to the case of Joshua Hunt, 35, who became known as the “Somerset Gimp” after terrorising female motorists whilst wearing a black latex suit in 2022.
Hunt was convicted at Bristol Magistrates’ Court in October 2023 of two counts of intentionally causing harassment, alarm or distress under the Public Order Act. The court heard how he approached two women drivers on separate occasions in May 2022 in the Bleadon area of Somerset, wearing a homemade mask fashioned from Asda tights with UV paint used to draw on eyes and a mouth.
During the first incident, a woman driving down a country lane with her husband and two children spotted Hunt crawling on the ground in his black outfit. The couple initially convinced themselves it was just a bin bag but later reported it to police online. The woman was left feeling “unnerved” and told the court she “does not want to travel around the lanes anymore.
Pattern of Terrifying Behaviour
Just over 24 hours after the first incident, another woman encountered Hunt whilst driving with her sister-in-law and a teenage boy. As she rounded a corner, she came face-to-face with the figure dressed entirely in black.
Her sister-in-law screamed in horror upon seeing Hunt, with the teenage passenger describing it as “like a scream from a horror movie.” The terrified driver sped up to pass as Hunt jumped to the side of the road.
Police arrived within minutes of being called and spotted Hunt’s white Citroen Berlingo van reversing out of a lay-by. When arrested, he told officers: “I’m not a gimp, I don’t own a gimp suit.”
Mental Health Claims and Court Verdict
During his police interview, Hunt provided a prepared statement claiming his “mental health has deteriorated rapidly, and I am in crisis.” He stated: “I was attempting to kill myself, I didn’t intend to scare anybody. I am crying out for help.”
However, a search of his Claverham home uncovered a handwritten story about a man named Jack who dressed in black with a face mask and “looked like something out of a horror film.” Hunt admitted writing the story but denied acting it out.
He later accepted he was the “gimp” who had been spotted but claimed he was engaged in “mudding” – covering himself in mud because he hated his body. Hunt also told the court he had wanted to kill himself by being hit by a car on the two nights he was seen.
District Judge Joanna Dickens found Hunt guilty after a one-day trial, noting that he had already spent one month in prison on remand. She fined him £100 and ordered him to pay £200 compensation to each of his three victims, plus £620 in prosecution costs.
Sexual Risk Order Imposed
Following his conviction, police successfully applied for Hunt to be made subject to a Sexual Risk Order due to concerns about a possible sexual motivation behind the offences. The civil order, granted on an interim basis, aims to prevent Hunt from repeating his actions and protect the public from further harm.
Chief Inspector Jonny Murray of North Somerset Police said: “The masks worn by Joshua Hunt, which were made out of tights and had faces drawn on them, terrified the people he jumped out on. His actions were alarming and caused others to genuinely fear for their safety.”
The Lancashire incident remains under investigation, with no arrests made at the time of publication. Police continue to appeal for information as they work to identify the naked man captured on CCTV in Lytham.
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