No "floppy" truncheon needed

Three judges have ruled that a male stripper who dresses as a policeman can use a real truncheon (baton) in his act. Stuart Kennedy, a student whose stage name is Sgt Eros, was arrested on his way to an engagement in Aberdeen by two female police officers.

They watched his performance in a city pub to confirm his explanation for wearing a police uniform before he was charged with carrying an offensive weapon.

A sheriff threw out the charge at a lower court amid widespread criticism of the Crown for pursuing the case, but prosecutors decided to appeal against the ruling.

They told the Appeal Court in Edinburgh at an earlier hearing that Mr Kennedy, 25, a genetics student and part-time strippagram, would not have been detained if his truncheon had been "floppy".

He said the case against him was a waste of public money and expressed astonishment that the issue had reached judges in the court of appeal. However, he also revealed that the press coverage had made his police costume his most popular outfit.