Apparently I'm not the only one who's afraid of clowns. But damn if I want a bubble-blowing sax..!
A clown in full costume was left stunned after being strip-searched by Birmingham airport security as he tried to board a plane.
Children's entertainer David Vaughan, 60, was dressed as PC Konk, complete with huge floppy shoes, a policeman's helmet and face paint, when he was taken aside by security staff at Birmingham airport.
Mr Vaughan had been booked by Variety Club Midlands to entertain 100 disadvantaged children on a plane as it circled the region on a one-hour Christmas charity flight. But a piece of metal on his costume set off the security alarm, prompting security guards to confiscate his plastic handcuffs and order him to strip down to his shorts and T-shirt.
Staff also demanded he put the liquid for his plastic bubble-blowing saxophone into a clear sealed plastic bag.
"I'd made sure I'd bought plastic handcuffs and a plastic whistle but I hadn't realised that the costume had a metal band – I thought it was plastic," said Mr Vaughan, from Shard End, Birmingham.
"They took me to the customs office, I took off the costume and they put it through the X-ray machine.
"That was fine and I put it back on. Then they confiscated my handcuffs, which were plastic."
Mr Vaughan was finally allowed to board the Thomas Cook-sponsored plane, which took off from Birmingham and returned an hour later after the incident last Tuesday.
"Don't get me wrong, they were only doing their job. The funny part about it was that we were not going anywhere," he said.
"But at the end of the day, the children got great pleasure out of it. It was to make the children have a nice day and have a laugh, which we did."
A spokesman for Birmingham airport said: "PC Konk certainly did a great job of keeping everyone at the airport entertained.
"However, he was required to give in his handcuffs at security in line with national security regulations.
"PC Konk then passed speedily through before getting on with the important job of putting smiles on the faces of the Variety Club children, who all enjoyed a day to remember here at the airport."
SOURCE: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/dec/22/clown-strip-searched-birmingham
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