Joshua Hunt, 32, is the only culprit to have been convicted for wearing a plastic-clad outfit and terrifying victims since gimp sightings were first reported five years ago
Masked men dressed from head to toe in latex have been terrifying women across the UK for five years.
The so-called gimps, who wear dark clothing and masks on their faces and scare passersby at night, have been sighted in Somerset, Gloucester and Suffolk in recent years. The dark trend is believed to have begun in 2019, when a man dressed in black latex, with bright red crosses and a permanent smile etched on his mask was spotted in the quiet village of Claverham.
Since then, countless copycats have been sighted across the country – but only one gimp has ever been caught and unmasked. In October last year, the man accused of being the infamous ‘Somerset Gimp’ was found guilty of harassment. Joshua Hunt, 32, was seen on two occasions dressed in dark clothing with a mask, ‘writhing and crawling’ around in the dark in Weston-super-Mare.
Motorist Lucy Lodge was driving home alone in Bleadon on May 7, 2023, when she saw something moving on the ground. She said: “My first thought was it could be a possible abduction and the person was trying to get me out of my car. It was terrifying although I had only seen them for a few seconds. He was dressed all in black with a shiny, black facemask with white crosses on.”
Just 24 hours later, mum-of-two Samantha Farmer, 37, and Chloe Smith, 23, were driving back from work when they saw a man dressed in all black with a face mask. Sam said: “It was out of a nightmare… Like a horror film. He was completely still, just staring at us. Not moving and had his hands behind his back so I had no idea if he had a weapon.”
Following reports of the second incident, police went to Bleadon and spotted Hunt in a white Berlingo van. Hunt told them: “I am not dangerous, I am a normal person, I have got a few problems.” PC Declan Coppock arrested Hunt and said his skin was “extremely wet and damp, suggesting he had been lying on the side of the road”.
A search found Hunt, a self-employed gardener, had a collection of wet black clothing, women’s tights, face masks and gloves. Hunt told police during an interview that his mental health was in ‘crisis’ and he had been in a “very traumatic state of mind”. He said: “I stood in the road because I wanted to kill myself and I never intended to scare anybody.”
Hunt was found guilty of causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress to his victims. He was handed a sexual harm risk order, which prevents him from wearing any type of mask unless for medical reasons for five years, fined £100 and told to pay £200 compensation to each of his three victims, following one month in prison on remand.
In November, traumatised Samantha and Chloe shared their fears that the ‘real gimp’ was still on the prowl. Samantha told the Daily Star: “I know he has been convicted but I think Joshua Hunt is a copycat. The real Somerset Gimp could still be out there. Having seen previous videos and pictures of the so-called Somerset Gimp, it just looks like a different body shape, a different man. I’m terrified the real gimp is still out there.”
Just last week, multiple women in Suffolk reported seeing a man draped in the same clothes – a dark top, combat trousers, green wellies and a hood with a mask covering his face. In recent months, residents have reportedly seen him on several occasions walking through quaint town Bungay.
A woman in her 20s, who chose to remain anonymous, said a man followed her on March 26. She told MailOnline: “It was really weird. I felt really scared and was just about to call my dad when a friend happened to drive past and saw me. He pulled over and I got in his car, much to my relief.”
Other alleged victims include a schoolgirl who was followed twice by the man. Her mother later reported the incident to police. A force spokesman said: “I can confirm that police did receive a report [about the girl]. Although it cannot be proven whether or not this individual was deliberately following the girl concerned, she has been spoken to by officers and has been given appropriate safety advice and told to call 999 if ever she felt threatened.”
Bungay Town Council reportedly believe the masked individual was a young homeless man, who had refused accommodation on a number of occasions. Council clerk Rosalind Barnett told MailOnline: “Everyone has been aware of him for quite a long time. We contacted the homeless people at East Suffolk Council about 18 months ago. They are really good at housing people but they have to want to be housed. That’s the problem.”
In November, a person dressed head-to-toe in a skintight black costume in Gloucester sparked fears a ‘Gloucester Gimp’ was on the loose. Numerous sightings of the person were recorded in October and November. Resident Roger Sansil was on a dog walk with his wife when he said a ‘freak’ in a gimp suit came running past them and he quickly captured the figure.
Back in October 2022, a man dressed in all-black latex ‘absolutely terrified’ passersby in the early hours in Somerset. Alex Warren, 19, and a pal stumbled on a gimp squirming around in the dirt in the village of Cleeve. A police helicopter and squad car were called and the suspect was released on bail on the condition he would not leave his home between 9pm and 6am.
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