Lucinda Cameron

CHARGES against a "police" stripogram have been dropped by the Crown after judges ruled that his baton was not an offensive weapon, it was announced yesterday.

Stuart Kennedy, 25, was due to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Monday to face charges of impersonating a police officer and carrying an offensive weapon.

The proceedings were dropped weeks after judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh agreed, in relation to a separate case, that Mr Kennedy's truncheon was not an offensive weapon.

The university student, who performs under the stage name Sergeant Eros, went on trial last year accused of carrying two batons and a spray without lawful authority.

His case was thrown out of Aberdeen Sheriff Court after the sheriff ruled he had a "reasonable excuse" to carry the batons.

The sheriff's decision was appealed against by prosecutors, but appeal judges last month backed the ruling.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Crown Office said: "Following the decision by the Criminal Court of Appeal last month, we have concluded that no further proceedings should be taken."

Mr Kennedy, from Aberdeen, said: "I'm angry that it has taken 10 months for them to drop the charge. It has been a huge amount of time, money and extreme stress being in court.

"It has been a catalogue of incompetence from the fiscal and the police.

"It has hugely affected my life and had a massive effect on my life, career-wise, socially, and my mental wellbeing."

But he said the experience would not deter him from performing his act.

He added: "We have not stopped doing police strips as we know we had not done anything wrong."