A man in a black latex costume - dubbed "Gimpman" has once again been spotted in the UK village of Yatton in Somerset.
As reported by The Sun, the return of the so-called "Gimpman" comes after several stories emerged back in 2018 of a man in a skin-tight outfit taunting villagers.
The newspaper reports that last month, a 19-year-old teaching assistant and her boyfriend were left shaken up after their encounter with the mysterious figure. It was the 16th reported sighting of the man since he first hit the streets back in 2018.
Although police arrived at the scene to investigate, no arrested were made, The Sun reports.
Following the news that the latex-clad troublemaker has returned, sex therapist Isabelle Uren has spoken to the Daily Star about what the mysterious man's presence could mean.
Explaining the significance of the gimp suit, Uren said: "Someone might wear a bondage suit to show complete submission.
"It’s designed to cover the whole body and is made from rubber, leather or PVC. It helps the person wearing it get into a space of submission. It takes away their personal identity and they become an object to serve their master in any way they need. This can be done as part of a healthy part of BDSM play when it’s done consensually."
Uren also revealed that she believes the Yatton Gimpman's actions are far from fun or harmless, as some have suggested, but rather an attempt at "creating fear and intimidation".
"The man in Somerset is doing this in a very different situation. It’s not consensual," Uren said.
"It’s hard to say why they’re doing it, but it could be behind a need for exhibitionism. They could be getting sexually aroused by showing other people themselves in this state. He’s behaving in a threatening way."
Additionally, Uren fears that the Somerset Gimpman - and those who choose to follow in his footsteps - could result in members of the BDSM community being portrayed in a negative light.
She said: "My fear is rather than this becoming an epidemic, if more people start behaving like this it’s very detrimental to the BDSM community as it gives a very negative image to a healthy part of some people’s sex lives."
Back in 2019, The Mirror reported that a woman was charged at by a man wearing all-in-one black rubber suit.
That same year, two men were arrested by police on suspicion of indecency.
At the time, Somerset and Avon Police wrote on Facebook: "We’ve arrested a second man in connection with a series of incidents in the Claverham/ Yatton area.
"Since November last year, we’ve received 14 reports of a man approaching people while wearing disguises, one of which was a black body suit.
"In some of the incidents the offender is said to have performed indecent acts.
"The man, aged in his 30s, was arrested this afternoon on suspicion of indecency offenses and he is currently in police custody. The arrest comes after a man in his 20s arrested yesterday was earlier released on police bail."
No charges were ever made, The Sun states.
