AN artist from Burnley who claims the right to be naked in public has appeared in court after walking through the centre of London in the nude in the middle of the afternoon.

And police who reckoned it was all a publicity stunt were relieved when the court appearance of Richard John Chaffer and two other demonstrators passed without any more nudity.

Officers and security guards flooded into Court One at Bow Street Magistrates Court as the three protesters who revealed all in the Strand appeared on allegations of breaching the peace.

Chaffer, 22, of Southern Avenue, Burnley, was bound over for 12 months in the sum of £50.

Bearded and long-haired Chaffer, who described himself as an artist, had an officer seated at either side of the dock as he told magistrate Ronald Bartle how he strode naked into the crowd during a chaotic scene outside the Royal Courts of Justice.

Chaffer told the court: "I just think the human body is not anything to hide and we are all human beings. I don't think there is anything indecent about being naked."

Mr Bartle then said: "Do you accept that a lot of people would take exception to seeing other people walking round the streets of London with no clothes on?"

Chaffer replied that he could not argue with the view that it could provoke a response in others, thereby causing a possible breach of the peace. Chaffer, who told the court he had just finished his education and was now receiving Job Seekers Allowance, then agreed to be bound over.

Police Sergeant Stan Hunter told the court how officers had specifically been stationed in the Strand to deal with 'The Campaign to be free to be naked in the street'.

PS Hunter said a crowd of around 200 people had gathered to watch as people began stripping off their clothes in the busy main road.

"One person shinned up a lamp post and took his clothes off up there. The crowd became quite excited and quite volatile. People were still stripping and mingling with the crowd.

"I saw Chaffer just before 2.25pm walking naked into the crowd. He wore nothing but a grey rucksack in which I assumed he was keeping his personal possessions. I think the point of the campaign was to be naked and get as much publicity as possible.

"Chaffer was not overtly shouting, he was just naked."

PS Hunter said he arrested Chaffer for breach of the peace and took him to Charing Cross police station in a police van.

"He dressed himself during the journey," he said.

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