Police sorry for 'too much detail' in sex offender appeal
An apology is made by police after the description of a naked sex act suspect goes into a little too much detail.
Tuesday 20 November 2018 15:27, UK
An appeal to help catch a man who performed a sex act in public contained "too much detail", police have said.
North Yorkshire Police issued the appeal on Monday evening asking for the public to help them find a naked, overweight man after an incident in York.
The appeal also contained a description of his sexual organs, now removed from the force's Facebook page but reported in the York Press on Monday as "a small penis with testicles that hang noticeably low".
On Tuesday police apologised, saying: "The appeal included a description of the naked man, which we accept went into too much detail.
"This has caused upset to a number of people who read the appeal and we unreservedly apologise for any offence caused.
"The appeal was quickly removed and a more appropriately-worded version posted on the force website."
The man is suspected of performing a sex act in front of a female student on Sunday afternoon.
The revised version of the appeal described the man as white, with a very pale complexion, aged between 35 and 45, around 5ft 10in tall of fat build with very little body hair and no obvious tattoos or scars.
The new version, posted on the force's Facebook page, sparked 800 comments, with many saying they preferred the original.
One man posted: "I don't see a problem with the original post. It certainly got the message out as everyone shared it. Once again the snowflakes get their way!"
Another said: "The original post was not as offensive as the poor girl experiencing the ordeal."