Weird Shit: the Terrifying Clown of Kingswinford

2020 has certainly been a wild ride and here is my favourite weird story:

Residents in Ploverdale Crescent, Kingswinford, have been terrorised by a bare-chested clown

A Black Country street has been gripped by the fears of a clown after residents claimed they are being terrorised by a bare-chested motorist in full circus make-up.

And police have been contacted by householders who say Bozo is in danger of making Ploverdale Crescent, Kingswinford, a no-go area.

According to residents, officers are tracing the footsteps of the rogue Big Top entertainer.

The bizarre spate of clown encounters is no laughing matter, say locals. They described the confrontations as "sinister". They have CCTV footage.

On Thursday, the individual approached a young couple delivering leaflets.

At first they thought he was on his way to a children's party. Then the red-nosed individual "stared out" the 19-year-old woman before guffawing in her face.

Her companion told Black Country Live: "He laughed like a clown."

The 20-year-old added: "He stared at my girlfriend for a minute or so and started to laugh like a clown.

"At first I just thought he was on his way to a children’s party or something, I didn’t see him that clearly.

"We tried to ignore him and carried on doing the leaflets, we tried to pay no attention to him to see if he would stop. But as we got closer, he got in his car and opened his passenger door and asked me if I was someone he knew.

"When I said no, he started laughing more. It was a scary experience for both of us. I went out last night and spent half the time looking over my shoulder."

The "victim" has provided a detailed description.

He added: "He was about 5ft 8ins tall. He was wearing clown face paint, false clown teeth, no top on with a  black cap and joggers. He was laughing like a clown and had knife scars on his belly."

At 4pm on the same day, a paperboy in nearby Water Street was so shocked he cycled into a nearby park to escape.

His mother posted on a community forum: "My son phoned me to say what had happened - and kept the call going.

"As he approached Ploverdale, my son was hysterical. The clown stopped by him again. Myself and his dad ran after him, but he had gone by the time we got there. Police have been informed."

Another householder posted: "He was wearing false teeth or something like that in his mouth - scary!"

A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police confirmed complaints had been received, but, as yet, there is no reason to believe a crime has been committed.

A rogue clown on the streets may be no laughing matter, but it's not an offence.

She added: "We received calls on Thursday about a man driving in the Kingswinford area either wearing a clown mask or with his face painted and allegedly intimidating pedestrians.

"Officers have been attempting to identify the driver. It is unclear at this stage whether any criminal offences have been committed."

Anyone who saw suspicious activity can contact the police at  www.west.midlands.police.uk  or by calling 101. Quote log 5201 of 17 September.

I'm not sure if my favourite bit is where the clown laughed like a clown or where the constabulary aren't sure if a crime has been committed. I also want to know why he had alleged knife marks on his stomach and how the person knew they had been caused by a knife. 

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