Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
These cops busting what appears to be a cheeky angler fishing on an English Channel beach during the coronavirus crisis found a scarecrow instead.
The pictures were taken in Cabourg, in the Calvados department in the north-western French region of Normandy, and shared online with the caption: “After the blow up doll, now it’s a scarecrow’s turn to be busted by the police for not respecting lockdown!”
The prank has entertained netizens on social media, with users leaving funny comments at the expense of France’s police force.
‘Emilion Gravennes’ said: “And there are three of them, just in case things turn ugly.”
While ‘Jean-Pierre Trophardy’ added: “You’re lucky that they didn’t beat up the scarecrow. The blow up doll was less lucky.”
A few days ago, footage went viral showing a police officer marching up to what appeared to be a woman lying under a parasol on the beach, but it was in fact a blow up doll.
The officer appears to stamp on the doll to deflate it before ‘arresting’ it by carrying it away.
The footage was shot and posted online by documentary filmmaker Jane Kozlowski.
Jane told Newsflash: “I am a documentary filmmaker and I am confined to this beach house during the lockdown. I film the beach a lot, and the horizon, and sometimes the absurdity of it all. This was really lucky.”
She added: “I am currently making a documentary about living in isolation during the coronavirus lockdown. I have just finished my first film in a series.”
When asked how she managed to capture the hilarious incident on film, she told Newsflash: “Every day I film the sea, the horizon, the beach, my neighbours. I live here, my terrace gives straight onto the beach. When I got up, I saw this parasol on the beach with this ‘woman’ under it.”
She added: “I found that what this woman was doing was very daring, because the police patrol all day long, with their helicopter, on foot or in a boat.”
She then said: “After about three hours, I decided to start filming her. I have an HD camera for my work, so I zoomed in to see her up close and then it suddenly hit me that it was a blow up doll.
“It wasn’t long before the cops showed up.”
Jane told Newsflash she was really happy about the reaction online and speaking about how the video has notched up nearly 500,000 views, she said: “It fills my heart to have made so many people laugh, especially during these strange times.”
