‘Fat naked man’ who masturbated in front of York student wanted by police

Reports that a man masturbated in front of a female student in York are being investigated by police.

In a statement, North Yorkshire Police said: "The incident occurred at 1.15pm on Sunday as the 20-year-old woman was walking alone on Windmill Lane onto the woodland cycle path in the direction of Hull Road."

The police said he then performed the sex act on himself, remained in the same location for around five minutes and then left. The woman quickly walked away and reported the incident to the police.

Inquiries are ongoing to locate the man, including a trawl of CCTV covering the area. Police patrols have been stepped up in the area to provide public reassurance while the investigation continues.

Describing what the suspect looked like, the police said: "The suspect is described as white with a very pale complexion, aged between 35 and 45 years, around 5ft10 with a fat build. He has very little chest or pubic hair, no obvious tattoos or scars, and he has what was described as a small penis with testicles that hang noticeably low."

North Yorkshire Police have since apologised for the very detailed description above, saying it was a "momentary lapse of judgement".