Arrest threat over student's art display

A student was threatened with arrest after complaints that his street art display was obscene and offensive.

Budding artist Nicolas Arriola sparked the outrage after setting up a mock market stall, called Rustic Splendor, in Gosport selling some unusual wares, including home-made cellophane 'condoms', unsealed tampons and improvised breast implants.

The 17-year-old had been displaying his goods for about three hours when he was approached by local PC John Connelly who told him people had complained, and that if he did not pack up he would be arrested for a public order offence.



'He gave me a ticket and said I would be taken to the police station and arrested unless I removed the tampons,' said Nicolas, adding that the threat was 'slightly ridiculous. Apparently someone had complained. I didn't expect that I would be threatened with arrest.

'It was the final piece in an art project – about how products are sold and in what context. It was to explore what is felt by having products in an unhygienic tacky context.'

Hampshire Constabulary spokeswoman Julie Knight said: 'Somebody had gone into the police station to say there was obscene material in a stall on the High Street and they found the tampons particularly offensive. She added that the student was breaking section five of the Public Order Act 1986, as he was causing harrasment, alarm or distress.