|
|
 |
The word strip on its own is quite an innocent
word, it could refer to a piece of something or maybe even the kit
of a team, but start sticking words after it and it becomes a bit
of an eye opener.
On the one hand you have the more pleasurable end of the scale such
as strip tease, or the beloved drunken game strip poker but on the
other side of the coin comes the dreaded strip search.
Although normally only referred to jokingly when someone's going
for a medical and almost displaced as an urban myth that doesn't
happen, the truth is it does.
So is it all rubber gloves, vaseline and the dreaded line of 'this
is an invasion of privacy'?.
Loay Hady caught up with a guy who ahem ... had been through the
motions, to find out what was up... or for want of a better phrase
what went up?
Rhys Roberts is a 21 yr old student at the Nottingham
Trent university who had the pleasure of a strip search at the tender
age of 18.
------
So what were you trying to smuggle into the
country?
Nothing, I wasn't strip searched at customs, I was at a friends
house party.
You and your friends just wanted to try something different with
each other?
No, the police raided the place...
Oh, that makes more sense. Why did they 'bust' you?
Apparently the guy who's house it is was up to some shady things
and we just happened to go along with some friends of friends. Everything
was cool, we were just chilling, and then there was a knock on the
door, didn't think anything of it and then four police men walked
in...
(interrupting) And just for the record these were real police
right? Not some strippers you'd ordered?
No... they came in and proceeded to tell us that they had a
warrant to search the premises for illegal substances and they did
so.
...and the first place they looked was up your...
No of course not, they were just searching the flat...
Oh right, so they didn't search you?
Not a first, but after they looked all over the flat they came back
to us and asked us to go with them into a room.
All at once?
No, one at a time.
(I could sense that Rhys was gonna need some cajoling in the
next sentence). So then the policeman said...?
... He asked me to take off my top, I felt really embarrassed
and humiliated but to be fair the officer really didn't want to
do this either. He tried to make small talk, he said nice vest and
then he asked me to take it off...
'Nice vest'? what an ice breaker...
... then he asked me to take off my trousers and my boxers and
he checked the lining at the top of both.
He was touching your underwear? Sometimes the police have the
worst job. Please tell me it wasn't laundry day?
Well, I was a little nervous when they came in so my pants were...
(interrupting) No one needs to know the end of that sentence.
Did the search go any further?
No, I wasn't probed or anything, thank god, but there was one
more really humiliating experience.
Prey tell...
He asked me to 'lift my sac' and then he had to take a peak underneath
to make sure I hadn't snuck anything under there.
So you're standing there holding your balls? That's not so bad,
you could've just closed your eyes and pretending you were defending
a free kick.
Not that easy when you're naked and a
policeman's staring at you.
------
Rhys' Story was humiliating rather than excruciating
and though he wasn't happy to do it, he understands the police have
a job to do.
The moral of the story here is don't go round dodgy houses and though
it's not exactly clear why Rhys was at this guys gaff when he wasn't
there, one thing I am certain he wished he hadn't been there either.
|
