Clowning around

People who dress as a clown and chase after or intimidate people could be arrested, says Nigel Richardson, criminal defence partner at Hodge Jones & Allen. The “killer clown” trend, which originated in the US and is now sweeping the UK, “easily falls within” s 4A or s 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, which cover the intention or likelihood of causing a person “harassment, alarm or distress”, he said. “So far as dealing with people loitering in clown outfits but not actually doing anything, they could be threatened with arrest for behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace. However, actual arrest could be deemed rather heavy-handed.”