And if the police were concerned about the attention this thing was attracting, then their plan has backfired, as it is attracting a hell of a lot more attention now.
'Penis' confiscated by police
By THANE BURNETT, QMI Agency
Last Updated: April 7, 2010 2:18pm
Jason Hadlow is upfront about his predicament.
?They?re holding my penis hostage,? the U.K. shopkeeper complains to QMI Agency, after local police hauled away a 1.2 metre, hand-carved stone phallus he had displayed in his front window.
The sandstone male-modelled thingy was sitting among a tranquil display of garden fixtures, when police in the community near the English town of Bedale, in North Yorkshire, swooped in.
They grabbed the not-so-private part and fined Hadlow for ?displaying an item liable to cause harassment, alarm and distress.?
?To one side was a statue of Venus with her boobies right there, and nearby was Hercules?and (he was) pretty much hanging out in the open,? recalls Hadlow of the recent raid. ?But they couldn?t help themselves, and just went straight for my willy.?
And so, with a great deal of effort given the statue weighs about 25 kilos, police man-handled it out of the shop and into the back of a marked van.
Unless the shop owner pays a fine ? originally due on Thursday ? he?s not getting the Indonesian good luck symbol back.
And he says if he does pay the fine, he?ll leave the ten locals he sold similar statues to, totally exposed.
?If I pay, then all those other people are liable,? he complains, on the phone from his home.
To help free the impounded organ, Hadlow has set up a Facebook campaign dubbed ?Free Willy.?
On the site, he points out, unless the scandalous sculpture is released: ?It?s going to be sadly missed ? both staff and customers loved it.?