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Comedian Steve Day could hardly believe his luck when police mistook him for a window-smashing thug and searched him in a city street.
Now, he hopes to have the last laugh by making Leicestershire Constabulary the butt of his jokes at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe festival.
In the routine, he describes - with some embellishments - how he was stopped by three officers just after he left Leicester's De Montfort Hall earlier this year.
The 44-year-old, who is deaf, had just performed in the Leicester Comedy Festival's preview gala on Friday, January 18.
Writing in his blog on the Chortle comedy website, the London comic said: "I decided I'd carry straight on to pass them, but at that point I was grabbed from each side in what must have been a choreographed manoeuvre straight out of the police handbook, if not Police Academy.
"I was lifted off my feet, then set down quickly, while they said stuff I couldn't hear."
The father-of-five was told he matched the description of a youth seen smashing windows in the area.
He said: "I did match the description - male with a dark bomber-style jacket and a hoodie underneath.
"The fact that the description also fitted just about every other male in the UK seemed not to occur to them - neither did the fact that, while they talked to me, at least five people also matching the description walked past unhindered."
Steve explained who he was and where he had been, but the police carried on with a search in the street.
When nothing suspicious was found, they let him go on his way.
Steve, who made no formal complaint, told the Mercury: "My routine is just taking shape. I've done it twice in preparation for this year's Edinburgh Fringe and both times it has really flown.
"I was pretty pleased to be called a youth, though, being 44 now, but less pleased to be kept hanging around on a busy street in a city centre.
"I'm not putting off coming back to Leicestershire, although I shall try to avoid the long arm of the law next time."
Leicestershire police responded to Steve's blog with a statement saying stop-and-search powers were "an important tool" for stopping crime.
They said: "Often, when members of the public report an incident, they give a description of the person involved.
"The police may need to search anyone fitting that description, within a reasonable distance, to establish if they were involved in the incident.
"This can eliminate the person quickly and removes the need for them to attend a police station, saving everyone's time."
Police said they "continually seek to reassure the public about the way these powers are used".
Geoff Rowe, the director of Leicester Comedy Festival, said: "What happened to Steve is just bizarre."
Steve performs his show Should I Stay Or Should I Go? at Edinburgh from August 1 to 9, in the Hide @ The Argyle bar.
His blog, called Prime Suspect, can be found at:
Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide
Comedian Steve Day could hardly believe his luck when police mistook him for a window-smashing thug and searched him in a city street.
Now, he hopes to have the last laugh by making Leicestershire Constabulary the butt of his jokes at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe festival.
In the routine, he describes - with some embellishments - how he was stopped by three officers just after he left Leicester's De Montfort Hall earlier this year.
The 44-year-old, who is deaf, had just performed in the Leicester Comedy Festival's preview gala on Friday, January 18.
Writing in his blog on the Chortle comedy website, the London comic said: "I decided I'd carry straight on to pass them, but at that point I was grabbed from each side in what must have been a choreographed manoeuvre straight out of the police handbook, if not Police Academy.
"I was lifted off my feet, then set down quickly, while they said stuff I couldn't hear."
The father-of-five was told he matched the description of a youth seen smashing windows in the area.
He said: "I did match the description - male with a dark bomber-style jacket and a hoodie underneath.
"The fact that the description also fitted just about every other male in the UK seemed not to occur to them - neither did the fact that, while they talked to me, at least five people also matching the description walked past unhindered."
Steve explained who he was and where he had been, but the police carried on with a search in the street.
When nothing suspicious was found, they let him go on his way.
Steve, who made no formal complaint, told the Mercury: "My routine is just taking shape. I've done it twice in preparation for this year's Edinburgh Fringe and both times it has really flown.
"I was pretty pleased to be called a youth, though, being 44 now, but less pleased to be kept hanging around on a busy street in a city centre.
"I'm not putting off coming back to Leicestershire, although I shall try to avoid the long arm of the law next time."
Leicestershire police responded to Steve's blog with a statement saying stop-and-search powers were "an important tool" for stopping crime.
They said: "Often, when members of the public report an incident, they give a description of the person involved.
"The police may need to search anyone fitting that description, within a reasonable distance, to establish if they were involved in the incident.
"This can eliminate the person quickly and removes the need for them to attend a police station, saving everyone's time."
Police said they "continually seek to reassure the public about the way these powers are used".
Geoff Rowe, the director of Leicester Comedy Festival, said: "What happened to Steve is just bizarre."
Steve performs his show Should I Stay Or Should I Go? at Edinburgh from August 1 to 9, in the Hide @ The Argyle bar.
His blog, called Prime Suspect, can be found at:
Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide
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