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Clothing? It's off again for nude rambler

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Published Date: 22 January 2008
THE Naked Rambler is set to stay behind bars after admitting he is not prepared to get dressed.
Stephen Gough, 48, was set free last Friday by a sheriff who gave him the chance to end his "vicious circle" as long as he left court with clothes on.

But he was re-arrested just six steps into his walk from court as he left wearing only a rucksack.

At Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday, Gough – not allowed to appear due to his state of undress – denied the breach of the peace and his bail was refused.

Both prosecution and defence agreed he would break the bail again if given another chance.

Last week, he was warned he would be taken straight back to the cells if he appeared in the nude in public again. The rambler, from Hampshire, was first arrested during a UK trek as he campaigned for advocacy of public nudity, and is now facing his 13th charge. He was cleared of another breach of the peace charge in June only to be re-arrested in Edinburgh five minutes later with no clothes on.



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  • Last Updated: 22 January 2008 11:00 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Naked Rambler
 
1

Edinburghs Finest,

22/01/2008 12:15:43
Just ship this publicity hungry idiot back over the border so we dont have to waster our taxes keeping him in jail! Nudey idiot!
2

David Harrington,

Edinburgh 22/01/2008 12:22:00
Strange that the naked rambler got arrested for walking through a virtually deserted countryside, but naked cyclists riding through the centre of London on a Critical Mass were escorted by Police. This seems highly unfair, but I think he had made his point long ago and should give it up.
3

Grouchy,

Edinburgh 22/01/2008 12:31:02
He should be released into the countryside preferably on the English side of the border one night when the temperature is below freezing. Bet he'll soon want to put clothes on!
4

Allan(handofgod137),

22/01/2008 12:32:17
Maybe they should just let him get on with it. I don't think there's anything on the statute book to say you have to wear clothes.Perhaps the police could spend more time investigating real criminals like Wendy?
5

The Judge,

22/01/2008 12:33:17
Hasn't this fool been sectioned yet? If you want to walk around in the buff then there is something very wrong with your mental state.
6

Alternative (High Octane) Fuel Head,

Edinburgh 22/01/2008 12:35:37
#3:

No he won't. He's an ex Royal Marine. He'd rather build himself a fire and practice some cold weather survival techniques.

Why the hell can't he go naked if he wants to? Anyone who would be offended by that is stupid. Most people wouldn't bother themselves about it and some (especially kids) would find it quite funny.

Leave him alone and stop wasting time and money.
7

Finbarr Saunders,

22/01/2008 12:44:26
Bundle him into a police van and turf him out the back door over the English border.

Problem solved.
8

JT,

22/01/2008 12:58:02
Just lock him in up at Carstairs and throw away the key. He is just a waste of time, space and money. No more stories on him either, he's obviously feeding off the publicity.
9

Paul Voltaire,

22/01/2008 13:27:02
His belief of his right to walk around in the scud is clearly delusional.
Exile to the South Pole (one way ticket) would cure him.
10

MDM,

22/01/2008 13:28:20
I watched a documentary about him and he had a girlfriend at that time - I would have thought he would be missing her by now?

He also has a couple of kids - I wonder what they'll make of it all in years to come.....

There again, perhaps he just likes the male bonding available at HM Prisons!

He's also sitting in the segregation wing at Saughton and isn't allowed any visitors because he refuses to dress!

He calls himself a 'Political Prisoner'.

http://nakedwalk.org/

He's also ready to consume yet even more public money as he takes his 'important' fight to the High Court in February.

And to think, there are people in this world with nothing but the clothes they stand in......
11

Young Gordon,

The Shore 22/01/2008 14:22:36
Nice one #11!

(But let's still send him back to Hampshire)
12

Boy Wonder,

22/01/2008 15:53:37
The man's obviously got mental health problems. He really should be sectioned for his own good.
13

Allan(handofgod137),

22/01/2008 16:42:50
#15 Why, after all we let bigger idiots like brown and blair go free?
14

The Running Naked Shambler Shotè !,,

22/01/2008 18:54:41
14
http://news.scotsman.com/ViewArticle.aspx?articleid=3284452

how could you forget.
15

Black Knight,

Irvine 22/01/2008 19:00:21
I find him offensive. My missus would find him offensive. I would find it offensive if he exposed himself to my kids or my elderly mum. The polis find him offensive and the sheriffs also think he is offensive. The fact is that Mr Gough IS offensive. Until it gets through his thick head that being naked in the highways of Scotland is considered offensive and will not be tolerated, then it's right and proper that he stays behind bars. If they don't take such action against him, they're giving a licence to all the exhibitionists and voyeurs to come up to Scotland and flash their private parts to all and sundry with impunity!
16

saltiresfan,

Edinburgh 22/01/2008 23:34:16
For a city with a massive budget crisis we seem to be spending an inordinate amount locking him up and putting him in court. As it's clear that prison isn't a deterrent for him and that he's costing Edinburgh tax payers £100,000s let's drop him off back in Hampshire so he has to start the walk again and somewhere else can pay to lock him up.
17

naturistspace.org,

north jones, alabama 23/01/2008 03:45:26
Nothing wrong with being naked as long as you enjoy it and can handle it. We are all born that way!There is a difference in nudism or naturalism and pornography. Nudism believes in the freedom from the restrictions of clothing, Porn is for sexual gratification. And you may need to check http://www.naturistspace.org out there.

Good post! Keep posting! I like it!
18

topcatwhimsy,

Mid-Atlantic in Eastern US 23/01/2008 14:41:09
The insane thing is the harassment Mr. Gough is getting, the publicity is generated not so much by him but by the authorities and the press. They thrive on sensationalizing even simple things, and using heavy hands on matters they think can be bullied. I had more faith in the intelligence and free thinking among the Scottish populous. As others have said, just let him go along, he's totally peaceful, not sexually lewd, and seems to be quite charming if he's treated with respect. Here, the fundamentalists and puritan forces are over the top, don't let them force their ideals onto all others as freedoms of expression, thinking, speech, and much more get curtailed. There as here much more vital issues should be taking center stage. As far as "harm", do we all sometimes see things we don't enjoy, what do we do in those cases, just STOP LOOKING is all. Most of us drive or ride in automobiles, those CAN harm you in a deathly way. Yet the auto is regarded as a good thing, Mr. Gough has not been harming anything. To those of you with knickers in a twist, open your minds and look to a much bigger world. And let Mr. Gough go along. It's not the nudity that worries most of you all, it's the perversions in your own minds really. Just what are you thinking? Good day.
19

Donald, Edinburgh,

edinburgh 23/01/2008 16:37:35
well said, #22

When Stephen Gough was in the marines, his body was useful to 'us'. Presumably those objecting to it now would prefer that he had been killed in action. (Also would have saved the taxpayer some pennies, eh?)

The inhumanity of keeping hin in solitary, and the stubborn idiocy of the court system, shames Scotland.
20

I'mallymax,

Orwellian nightmare; elite intolerance, public tol 24/01/2008 17:34:33
#' 22 and 23, I agree.

For me there's actually 3 points to this story.

1)The way the Scottish elites/judges/crown prosecution are trying to subjugate Scots society by curtailing our freedoms of expression by moralizing expression.

2)The complete and utter nonsense of the scottish police and crown prosecution system to charge this man with 'breach of the peace', when the Scots populous as a whole are very tolerant toward this man's freedoms of expression.

3)The concordance within Scottish populace and society that's obviously tolerant towards this man's/everyman's/woman's freedom of expression through ethical ideals of tolerance; of which only the 'elites' are out of synch' with! i.e the crown prosecution and police system of 'zero-tolerance.

# 22; The perversions you attribute to those who would be disgusted by someone else's freedom of expression/nudity is a position called paranoid-schizophrenia. It is a very primitive position that demands absolute power towards self-efacing. The 'elites' are a prime example of this position.



21

Royster,

19/05/2008 00:21:18
I applaud him. It's always useful to have someone who is willing to take on petty officialdom. Maybe, society is crazy and he is ompletely sane.

 

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