POLICE have swooped on a furniture store to seize a huge stone willy after it was branded indecent.

Owner Jason Hadlow, who said the action was overzealous, must pay an £80 fine to reclaim the unusual garden ornament.

He was fined after the £200 hand-carved 4ft sandstone appendage was seen in the window of Simply Dutch at Leeming Bar, near Bedale, North Yorkshire.

The firm, which bills itself as the most interesting store in the North, recently stocked a new range of garden furniture, including the offending willy, which went on prominent display at the end of last month.

Following a complaint from a member of the public, police removed the ornament and fined Mr Hadlow for “displaying an item liable to cause harassment, alarm or distress”.

Mr Hadlow must pay the fine by Friday to release it from Northallerton police station – or face possible court action.

The entrepreneur, who lives in Yarm, near Stockton, is refusing to back down, saying the willy is in keeping with the store’s quirky ethos. He has even started a Free Willy campaign in store and on networking website Facebook.

He said: “The world is a crazy place and I am sure the local constabulary has better things to do.

“It is just another example of overzealous policing and I could not believe they were serious.

“We might have had one or two complaints, but most customers loved it as they know the type of things we stock.

“We have had naked stone strippers, Roman and Greekstyle statues and all sorts of other weird pieces of furniture in the window which haven’t caused such a stir.

“So I am a little shocked, to say the least, that an £80 ransom is being demanded for the phallus’ return.”

A police spokesman said: “The owner is displaying a penis in the window to attract publicity.

“A member of the public complained to police about the statue.

“He is committing an offence under the Public Order Act 1986.”

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