Cops issue warning about US ‘killer clown craze’ sweeping UK as twenty ‘twisted attacks’ are reported in a week
Dozens of pranksters roam the streets in clown outfits and with Halloween coming up, furious police have had enough
THE American Halloween craze for dressing as “killer clowns” has been slammed by Brit cops as it sweeps across the UK.
Dozens of twisted jokers have been roaming our streets in clown outfits, some armed with knives to spread terror.
And after a spate of incidents, pranksters have been warned the trend is “no laughing matter” and a waste of police resources.
While most sightings are regarded as relatively harmless some have been far more sinister.
They fled in terror after being invited to a “birthday party” by the sinister pair.
A Sun investigation has found the craze — which started in the US — began over here more than a month ago. But it has really taken off in the past week, with more than 20 reported incidents. Now, with Halloween just around the corner, cops have warned enough is enough.
In another terrifying incident, a knife-wielding clown chased four young children aged between 11 and 12 on Friday as they walked to school in Chester-le-Street, Co Durham.
Local cop Sgt Mel Sutherland said: “We believe this to be part of a much larger prank which is currently sweeping across the US and parts of the UK.”
Thames Valley Police yesterday revealed officers had been called to 14 incidents in less than 24 hours over the weekend — and demanded an abrupt end to the craze.
A spokesman said: “Their actions cause fear and anxiety.
“This could lead to public order offences, arrest and a criminal record. We would urge people to refrain from such activity.”
Elsewhere, after six reports of clowns acting suspiciously at the weekend, a Gloucestershire Police spokesman said: “Whether those involved are doing it for a joke or not, this is no laughing matter.”
Yesterday a picture taken at a McDonald’s in Kidderminster, Worcs, showed a man dressed as a clown hiding at the drive-through. And Leicester had also been targeted, with one person claiming on social media to have been confronted by a “clown with an axe” in a cemetery.
Yesterday Police Scotland warned against taking part in the craze, saying that action would be taken against anyone “seeking to cause distress and potential harm”.
Cops in Wales issued a similar warning, with a South Wales Police spokesman explaining: “Dressing up as clowns or in costumes to frighten others intentionally will have consequences.”
Creating “alarm or distress” is punishable by the Public Order Act and carries a maximum £1,000 fine. This could rise to a jail term if a weapon is carried.
Dr Adam Lynes, a criminology lecturer at Birmingham City University, told The Sun: “A lot of these people are copycats.
“You see this kind of behaviour at the more extreme end of the scale with killing sprees.
“People get swept up in the movement and want the thrill of being involved.
“Putting on a clown mask hides your identity and often leads people to act in ways they wouldn’t normally.
“They’re unshackled from the normal rules of society.
“In most cases in the UK, this comes in the form of scaring people. It’s probably not illegal but it’s not nice when the targets are children.
“We saw similar behaviour during the 2011 London riots, with people acting in extreme ways they normally wouldn’t. Putting on a creepy clown mask can have a similar effect, so there is the potential for incidents to spin out of control.”
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The scale of the craze in Britain is dwarfed by that in America, where it has become a national concern.
Clown-related threats and attacks have been reported across 24 states leading to more than a dozen arrests, some on terror-related charges, with local forces begging the FBI for help.
Pennsylvania cops are probing what may be the first clown-related death after a 16-year-old boy was fatally stabbed after a confrontation involving someone in a clown mask.
Last week the White House even weighed in, with Barack Obama’s Press Secretary Josh Earnest confirming the clown threat was being taken seriously at the highest level.
In Alabama nine arrests were made in little over a week in September as a result of clown scares.
Seven people — two adults and five juveniles — were charged with making a terrorist threat connected to “clown-related activity”.
Horror novelist Stephen King, whose book It is about a monster which takes the form of a clown, stepped into the fray, tweeting last week: “Hey, guys, time to cool the clown hysteria, most of ’em are good, cheer up the kiddies, make people laugh.”
There have even been vigilante-style hunts. Last week 500 students at Penn State University poured on to the streets on a “clown hunt” after rumours circulated on social media there was one lurking near their campus.
Dr Scott Bonn, criminologist at Drew University in New Jersey, told The Sun: “Many children and some adults are terrified of clowns. They are surreal and can be very frightening. Anything could be beneath the make-up.”
And whether the threat posed by clowns is real or imagined, for the time being at least, they are far more than just a sideshow.
King's IT motive
ONE of the inspirations for the “killer clown” craze is thought to be 1986 horror novel It by Stephen King, which features evil jester Pennywise as a monster preying on children.
The tale centres on a group of kids whose lives are thrown into chaos when the beast murders one of their pals.
They discover they are dealing with a shape-shifting creature which awakens and attacks children once every 27 years – usually in the form of Pennywise.
They confront the beast before it escapes into the sewers. Decades later, it begins to kill again, forcing the now-adult gang to return to their childhood home to take on – and eventually destroy – the clown.
Shifting a million copies on its first printing, the book was the best-selling novel in the US in its release year and has gone on to sell millions more worldwide.
In 1990 it was turned into a TV miniseries for the US starring Brit actor Tim Curry as the clown.
A film based on the book is set for release next year, starring Bill Skarsgard.
Killer clown sightings
HERE are just some of the chilling UK clown sightings in the past week alone . . .
CHESTER-LE-STREET, Co Durham: A knife-wielding clown pursued four young children, aged 11 and 12, on their way to school.
STRETFORD, Gtr Manchester: Children were left “petrified” by a driver motoring through the streets wearing a clown mask.
GLOUCESTER: Six reports were made of “pranksters” dressed as clowns wielding knives, following people or acting suspiciously.
ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE, Gtr Manchester: A man dressed as a clown with an outfit including “a hockey mask and a blood-stained poncho” was captured on camera.
ELLESMERE PORT, Cheshire: Residents reported clowns roaming the streets. Two teenage girls were said to have been chased.
PLYMOUTH: A man posted a video online showing him being confronted at night in the town by a clown armed with a hammer. Meanwhile, multiple reports were received of people dressed as clowns, including one near a school bus. Another incident saw children chased through woodland.
BROTTON, North Yorks: A young girl reported seeing a figure wearing a clown mask and carrying a blade, while a woman and her daughter were followed by a clown while walking late at night.
SUDBURY, Suffolk: “Several people dressed as clowns” chased a boy “younger than a teenager”, according to police.
LIVERPOOL: A man dressed as a clown was seen driving a Ford Transit van through the city centre.
DUNDEE: Cops were called to Finlathen Park after eight youngsters in clown masks were spotted frightening motorists in the area.
SHEFFIELD: A clown was spotted driving around the Hillsborough area using a mobility scooter. Pictures circulated on social media.
PONTELAND, Northumberland: Pupils at Ponteland Middle School were confronted by a man dressed as a clown on the school grounds who chased them across playing fields.
CLACTON, Essex: Two young girls on their way to school were approached by a pair of male clowns in a black van who invited the girls to a birthday party. The girls fled in terror.
CAERNARFON, North Wales: Residents witnessed a clown lurking near a kids’ play centre late at night.
NEWCASTLE: A 13-year-old boy was given a police warning after allegedly dressing as a clown and scaring passers-by. Cops confiscated a knife.
NORTH SHIELDS, Tyne and Wear: Panicked pupils at Thomas More Academy were rushed inside after a figure in a white mask and red wig was seen approaching schoolchildren.
