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A man who dressed in a clown outfit and intimidated children outside a school has been given a criminal record.

The 18-year-old man was seen outside St Cenydd Comprehensive School in Caerphilly on Friday.

He has now been issued a fixed penalty notice and fined £90 for a public order offence, which will go on his criminal record.

This unrelated video footage shows a clown spotted in Merthyr:

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Chief Inspector Paul Staniforth, from Gwent Police, said: “Gwent Police will not tolerate such behaviour and anyone seeking to cause distress and potential harm to anyone will be dealt with.

“In this case, not only is this man out of pocket, he will now have a criminal record which will impact his future, including any job opportunities.

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Another clown was seen in Caernarfon:

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“I hope this result sends a strong message to anyone thinking about taking part in this craze, that their five minutes of what they may think is fun really isn’t worth it.

“Please be mindful and just think about the impact this is having on the public and police resources, not to mention the consequences for yourself and others.”