Soxy Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... British Naked Walker Gets Jail Sentence Wed Jan 7,11:20 AM ET LONDON - A man trying to walk the length of Britain naked to promote public nudity was convicted Wednesday of breaching the peace and sentenced to three months in jail. Stephen Gough, 44, has endured repeated arrests since setting out in June to walk the 847 miles from Land's End in southwest England to John O'Groats in Scotland's far north. He was most recently apprehended Nov. 29 after residents of Evanton, a village in the Scottish Highlands, complained about his walking through town wearing only boots, socks and a knapsack. He had been released from jail just hours earlier. Gough, wearing only a scarlet prison blanket tied with a police belt at his trial in Dingwall Sheriff Court in the Highlands, argued that he had been exercising his right to free expression as guaranteed by the Human Rights Act. "There is no law saying 'Thou shalt not go naked,'" Gough said. "All I am doing is dressing how I want to dress and believing what I want to believe. ... I am taking a stand and I hope that inspires others to do the same." He said he had undertaken his hike to "celebrate myself as a human being" and show people the nude body is beautiful, not disgusting. There is no law in Britain against public nudity. However, there are laws against indecent exposure — which requires proof of intent to insult a woman — or any behavior likely to cause "harassment, alarm or distress." Evanton resident Robert Thow, who testified at Gough's trial, said he had reported the naked walker to police because he worried about what effect his appearance might have on women and children. "I think there is a time and a place for it," he said. "I did not think Evanton was the place for it, or any other village." He suggested that Gough could have walked around the town instead of through it. Sheriff Edward Savage, who also convicted Gough for breaching the terms of his bail, chastised him while handing down the sentence. "You seemed determined, Mr. Gough, to break the law," he said. Gough, of Eastleigh in southern England, will get credit for the month he's already spent in jail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Poor guy, he came so far and yet didn't make it to the end. Damn it'd be pretty cold up in Scotland wouldn't it Soxy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxy Posted January 8, 2004 Author Share Posted January 8, 2004 Poor guy, he came so far and yet didn't make it to the end. Damn it'd be pretty cold up in Scotland wouldn't it Soxy? Not as cold as Minnesota, but well, cold enough to freeze a brass monkey's balls off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastime Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Well, if the guy likes being naked so much, he'll have many chances to do so during his two months in the clink. Don't pick up the soap, pal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Did you noticfe it's never a beautiful woman? We have a beach area that is popular with nudists. A friend of mine worked for US Fish and Wildlife and it was his job to patrol the area. He concluded that you needed to be 50 pounds overweight to join their group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBAHO Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Did you noticfe it's never a beautiful woman? We have a beach area that is popular with nudists. A friend of mine worked for US Fish and Wildlife and it was his job to patrol the area. He concluded that you needed to be 50 pounds overweight to join their group. Were u gettin ur hopes up or sumthin Tex? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wong & Owens Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... British Naked Walker Gets Jail Sentence Wed Jan 7,11:20 AM ET LONDON - A man trying to walk the length of Britain naked to promote public nudity was convicted Wednesday of breaching the peace and sentenced to three months in jail. Stephen Gough, 44, has endured repeated arrests since setting out in June to walk the 847 miles from Land's End in southwest England to John O'Groats in Scotland's far north. He was most recently apprehended Nov. 29 after residents of Evanton, a village in the Scottish Highlands, complained about his walking through town wearing only boots, socks and a knapsack. He had been released from jail just hours earlier. Gough, wearing only a scarlet prison blanket tied with a police belt at his trial in Dingwall Sheriff Court in the Highlands, argued that he had been exercising his right to free expression as guaranteed by the Human Rights Act. "There is no law saying 'Thou shalt not go naked,'" Gough said. "All I am doing is dressing how I want to dress and believing what I want to believe. ... I am taking a stand and I hope that inspires others to do the same." He said he had undertaken his hike to "celebrate myself as a human being" and show people the nude body is beautiful, not disgusting. There is no law in Britain against public nudity. However, there are laws against indecent exposure — which requires proof of intent to insult a woman — or any behavior likely to cause "harassment, alarm or distress." Evanton resident Robert Thow, who testified at Gough's trial, said he had reported the naked walker to police because he worried about what effect his appearance might have on women and children. "I think there is a time and a place for it," he said. "I did not think Evanton was the place for it, or any other village." He suggested that Gough could have walked around the town instead of through it. Sheriff Edward Savage, who also convicted Gough for breaching the terms of his bail, chastised him while handing down the sentence. "You seemed determined, Mr. Gough, to break the law," he said. Gough, of Eastleigh in southern England, will get credit for the month he's already spent in jail. These laws, in any country, are some of the most ridiculous on record. People need to stop being so goddamned petty. It's a naked guy walking--who the f*** cares? If you really think children would become permanently scarred by seeing a penis or testicles, then you're probably too repressed and uncomfortable with your own sexuality anyways to properly address any questions a child might have upon seeing aforementioned genitalia. I'm not saying let 6 year olds watch porn, but supporting the theory that the human body in and of itself has parts that are "naughty" and need to, BY LAW, remain covered is really antiquated and irresponsible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaxisprime Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Pastime Posted on Jan 8 2004, 10:36 AM Well, if the guy likes being naked so much, he'll have many chances to do so during his two months in the clink. Don't pick up the soap, pal. Yeah, I am sure there will be plenty of guys to tell him how beautiful the human body is with comments like, "you've got a purdy mouth". -zax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baggio202 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 These laws, in any country, are some of the most ridiculous on record. People need to stop being so goddamned petty. It's a naked guy walking--who the f*** cares? If you really think children would become permanently scarred by seeing a penis or testicles, then you're probably too repressed and uncomfortable with your own sexuality anyways to properly address any questions a child might have upon seeing aforementioned genitalia. I'm not saying let 6 year olds watch porn, but supporting the theory that the human body in and of itself has parts that are "naughty" and need to, BY LAW, remain covered is really antiquated and irresponsible. its interesting that you said "I'm not saying let 6 year olds watch porn"...what happens if the next guy that comes along and not only says walking around naked is ok but i see nothing wrong with a 6 year old watching porn??...he might say your view is antiquated and irresponsible...its all about where you are gonna draw the line... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wong & Owens Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 its interesting that you said "I'm not saying let 6 year olds watch porn"...what happens if the next guy that comes along and not only says walking around naked is ok but i see nothing wrong with a 6 year old watching porn??...he might say your view is antiquated and irresponsible...its all about where you are gonna draw the line... The line should be drawn at the point where what is being observed is too much for a child to handle.(And that line can be moved. 50 years ago, it might have been at 20, now down to what, 14?) There is no reason a child shouldn't be able to handle seeing a naked human body (of either gender) so long as the person in question isn't doing something that a kid isn't ready to deal with. Would you let an 8-year old see Michaelangelo's David? I think so, so what is the difference between that and seeing a naked guy walking down the street? Robert Mapplethorpe art? Maybe when he/she's is older. And the moral argument is something different than discussing whether or not citizens' tax dollars are being wasted by arresting/prosecuting guys like this. If I were a cop, I wouldn't waste one second of my shift attending to so-called "crimes." Let the guy walk from coast-to-coast in the buff, who friggin' cares? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baggio202 Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 i guess im happy where the line is now...reminds me of when i was stationed in germany..in the summer alot of girls in munich used to walk around topless...its really not a pretty site...you'd be surprised at how fast andf how far those things sag when they have nothing to help them lift and seperate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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