Mystery ‘gimp' in full-body cat suit freaks out town with jump scares, unwanted meows: ‘Just a bit strange'
A mysterious man in a black cat suit has been menacing residents of a small British town, leaping from behind trees and graves and yelling 'meow' — leaving locals more puzzled than panicked.
Now residents in the Liverpool suburb of Wallasey are trying to identify their 'Pantherman.'
'The community has gone mental with it,' local Abbie Gilbert told UK outlet Metro. 'Everyone and their nan seems to have seen him, and there are loads of posts as people are trying to hunt him or it down.
The mysterious 'Pantherman' in England has become a local legend — but no one has figured out who he is.
'From everyone's sightings, the Pantherman is harmless although he does look scary,' Gilbert said. 'I really don't think he's dangerous, just a bit strange.'
The bizarre figures dons a tight, full-body black suit with a mask resembling a cat, and has a knack of lurking around at night in wooded areas before he jumps out and scares his victims.
Photos of the mysterious prankster show him crawling around or writhing on the ground while meowing — and in one clip is seen sliding under a fence near a pub in town, the outlet said.
'I didn't feel scared really,' one resident posted on Facebook, according to the BBC. 'He was just waving his arms and making panther noises. I felt more confused than scared.
Residents in Wallasey said their 'Pantherman' reminds them of the 'Somerset gimp,' who made headlines in 2023.
'My little terrier, Mac, started barking away at the figure,' the woman said. 'So, I got my phone for light and captured a short video. A man in a panther costume then crawled up the hill on all fours.'
To residents, the wannabe-cat reminds locals of the 'Somerset gimp' — a 32-year-old Brit named Joshua Hunt who terrified another UK town in May 2023 in similar fashion, except with a gimp mask.
Hunt was later nabbed and banned from wearing a mask for five years, Metro said.
In recent years, Akinwale Arobieke, who was given the moniker 'Purple Aki,' became an internet sensation in Liverpool by approaching strangers and asking to squeeze their muscles.
Now, residents in Wallasey have their hands full with a new nut job.
'He just likes being a giant cat,' one resident said on Facebook. 'He doesn't frighten our dog.'
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