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Police have condemned a stunt where a Canberra radio announcer dressed as a clown appeared to be assaulted at a Belconnen home. Hit104.7 breakfast radio show host Ryan Jon "pranked" two listeners on Monday night by turning up on their doorstep dressed as a clown, in what he has described as a "rehearsed" and "scripted" prank. Footage of the stunt was live-streamed on the Hit 104.7 Facebook but later removed. It is understood Jon was assaulted in the video but Fairfax Media could not verify this. Station management would not be drawn to comment on the content of the video. Jon told listeners on Tuesday morning the footage had been a prank but ACT Policing have labelled the incident as "irresponsible". "This is a timely reminder that this social media stunt could have serious ramifications for people who either dress as clowns to intimidate members of the public and for those who deliberately attack persons dressed as clowns," a police spokeswoman said. "Any type of intimidating, threatening or anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated by police." The incident came just hours after police warned residents not to participate in the bizarre, social media fuelled phenomenon that has seen people all around the world don sinister clown masks. On Monday, an ACT Policing spokesman said officers were called to Lanyon Marketplace in Conder on Saturday night after a man saw a group of men dressed in clown outfits walking up the street with bats. In Western Australia, a man dressed as a clown was charged after chasing two teenage girls to a police station, while creepy clowns holding pretend knives and a cap gun have terrified motorists in Melbourne's south-east. While social media pages dedicated to clown sightings have sprouted up in Canberra, police said residents should report sightings to them instead. "If you feel unsafe or see anyone behaving in a suspicious and threatening manner, call police on 131 444," a spokeswoman said. Some 104.7 listeners also reacted strongly to the stunt. "Nice to see a radio station incite even move fear into an already scared community," one man wrote on the station's Facebook page. But Canberra FM's general manager Craig Wagstaff said the video was only on social media for a "short time" and had been planned before police had issued their warnings. He said the video was taken down as one of the "content decisions we make every day". "The scripted clown stunt video was pre-planned earlier in the day in relation to a very topical issue and was carried out in a private, controlled environment, before being placed on social media for a short time," Mr Wagstaff said. "All this occurred before we were aware of updated police warnings and our on-air references to the video were made with the specific premise of it being scripted, rehearsed and fake."

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