In a bizarre and disturbing incident in Lydbrook, Gloucestershire, a man defecated on the outside wall of a local social club before wiping himself with a sandwich. Mark Mortimer, 46, has been convicted of outraging public decency following the incident, which took place on February 13, 2024.
According to a spokeswoman for the Lydbrook & District Community Social Club, Mortimer entered the club around 8:30 p.m. acting oddly and making strange remarks. After requesting to use the restroom—where he remained for four to five minutes—he emerged with a dog and asked for a drink despite admitting he had no money. He also alarmed staff by claiming he had a bomb in his pocket; however, club officials later discovered it was simply a large silver metal ball.
Due to his unusual behavior, staff feigned closing the club early in an effort to encourage him to leave. However, outside the building, Mortimer defecated on the wall and wiped himself using a sandwich retrieved from a black bag he carried with him.
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The club spokeswoman, who has co-managed the venue for a decade, described the act as unimaginably vile. “I’ve never known anything so disgusting in all of my life,” she said. “It left me absolutely mortified and stunned.”
Authorities quickly apprehended Mortimer nearby, and he was arrested. On April 1, at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court, he pleaded guilty to outraging public decency, as well as breaking into a nearby cottage and stealing a torch on the same day.
Mortimer failed to appear for sentencing on May 12, leading magistrates to issue an arrest warrant. In a separate case heard at Gloucester Crown Court on May 5, he pleaded guilty to affray on October 29, 2024, and was sentenced to four months in prison. However, he was released due to time already served in custody.