Sparky the Clown arrested over protest clash

From the archive, first published Tuesday 1st Nov 2005.

SPARKY the circus clown was arrested after a bust-up with animal rights protesters.

And another circus worker was arrested for allegedly flicking a cigarette at demonstrators.

Police arrested the two outside Peter Jolly's Circus on Sunday.

Animal protection campaigners, who have been staging protests outside the circus on Chorley Road, Blackrod, say they have faced a campaign of intimidation from the circus.

But circus bosses have denied this, saying the protesters have been "looking for trouble".

On Sunday, Sparky the clown was arrested and cautioned for a public order offence in connection with an alleged assault on a female protester on Thursday. Witnesses say he was wearing his clown costume at the time of the incident.

A circus workman was arrested and fined £80 after he allegedly flicked a cigarette at a male protester in view of police on Sunday. A spokesman for the circus said the clown had gone out to ask the protesters to stop blocking the entrance to the circus, after initially calling the police.

He said one of the protesters tried to take photographs of the clown and was "sticking a camera in his face".

The clown retaliated by shoving the camera away, which caused the camera to hit the woman in her face.

In the second incident, the circus claims their workman did nothing more than throw some nuts to the ground in frustration with the protesters. He had the nuts in his pockets to feed the ponies.

The spokesman added: "We acknowledge that the protesters have a right to voice their opinion and we respect it, but in the same way the circus has a right to carry on.

"We went out there to ask them to move on, and the protesters behaved in a very difficult manner. These people have an axe to grind."

But Louise Stevenson of Manchester Animal Protection said protesters had faced threatening behaviour all week.

She said she had to call 999 on Sunday because circus people made threats.

"It's just outrageous, but thankfully the police came in time," she said.

She added that the workman was arrested because he flicked a cigarette at a protester in front of the police.

A police spokesman said: "We were called to the circus at around 1.30pm following reports of a disturbance."

"A 28-year-old man from Whitehaven in Cumbria was arrested and cautioned for common assault, and a 20-year-old man from Darlington was arrested for a public order offence and given a Fixed Penalty Fine."

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