'Body of man' hanging from train bridge with hands tied and bag over head causes 'distress' amid prank probe
The “body of a man” hanging from a train bridge with hands tied-up and a bag over his head caused “a lot of distress” to members of the public as police launched a probe into the prank.
A huge emergency service response of 14 crews rushed to the scene on the train bridge near Hythe fire station in New Road on Friday at 10.23pm.
However, it was discovered the “body” was in fact a mannequin. Police have taken a dim view of the prank and are now hunting for those responsible.
A police statement said: “Police were called at about 10.23pm on Friday 11 April, following reports of a body of a man being discovered on the train bridge near Hythe fire station on New Road.
“When officers attended, it became clear that this was in fact a mannequin hanging from the bridge which someone had tied the hands of and put a bag over its head.
“This caused a lot of distress to members of the public who saw this, due to how life like the mannequin was.
“It also meant that 14 emergency services personnel were needlessly called to the scene from the police, ambulance and fire services. Incidents such as this could prevent the services helping members of the public who really need it.
“We urge anyone with information about who may have staged this to come forward. You can call 101 quoting reference 44250159252 or report online at https://www.hampshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/.”