A POLICE officer who has been teased by his colleagues for 14 years for his drawing of a burglar is having it tattooed on his thigh.

Colleagues laughed at Brighton police officer Lee Willis after he attempted to draw an e-fit picture to solve the crime in 2004.

The fresh-faced police officer turned up to a crime scene and attempted to draw the suspect from witness descriptions.

Little did he know the drawing would become a national joke that would be passed between police stations across the country, so after years of jokes he has decided to get the questionable sketch tattooed on his thigh.

PC Lee Willis said: “I had just finished my probation period and went to a burglary job but, being young and enthusiastic, I started taking descriptions and tried to draw a picture of the suspect.

“Before I knew it, my co-workers had got hold of the drawing and it was being sent around all the local police stations, I heard it ended up making it as far as Newcastle.”

The burglar was never caught but Lee’s colleagues were unforgiving, holding a ten year anniversary for the image among other practical jokes.

He said: “They made a fake newspaper front-page with the e-fit on, and one morning I walked into a briefing and they were all wearing face masks they had made with pictures of the face on.

“I think this joke is going to keep going until I retire.”

So Lee decided to get the image tattooed on his thigh if his online fundraiser for mental health charity Mind reaches £2,000.

He said: “I talked to my family and, after giving me a funny look, my wife said that if it was for charity then she would agree to it.”

He did admit that the size of the tattoo was still under negotiation, but he also revealed that it might be getting more detailed.

Lee said: “Years ago, my wife Rachel put me forward to do a Cadbury’s Milk Tray advert.

“I got to a stage where I had to submit a video entry, and that also ended up on YouTube and doing the rounds of police stations around the country, so if I raise £4,000 I’m going to have an open box of Milk Tray with the e-fit on it.”

He chose to raise money for Mind as it is a charity that means a lot to him.

Lee said: “Everyone has mental health going on of some kind or another so awareness of it needs to be raised so that it can be discussed in the public domain.

“Being in the forces, your workmates can become your family and you go through a lot of ups and downs together.

“I had a friend who suffered with mental health, and unfortunately he took his own life. When you’re so close to someone, it can be hard to see mental health, so this fundraiser is to make everyone aware that it is there and we need to be able to recognise it.”

To donate to the cause and ensure Lee gets his tattoo, visit: justgiving.com/fundraising/lee-willis6