Greymouth police arrest man for naked press-ups in Westport's main street

A man clad in nothing but a pair of white socks was discovered doing press-ups on Westport's main street in the early hours of this morning.

Granity constable Greg Sherie said he was called to the scene about 2am after a security guard spotted the man and thought his behaviour a little odd.

Sherie said when he arrived the man was in the middle of the road near Westpac Bank.

"He was talking gibberish and shouting a bit as well. He would curl up in a ball then jump up. Really weird stuff."

It was about 7degC at the time so definitely too cold to be naked, Sherie said.

He tried talking to the man. "But he was off his face, absolutely on another planet. He must have taken some hallucinogenic drug."

The man, who turned out to be a 28-year-old local, put up a little resistance when Mr Sherie arrested him for reasons of public safety.

However, this was because he had no idea of what was going on, he said.

On arrival at the police station the naked man was given a gown. A doctor was called to check that he was physically ok to be in custody, then he was put in a station cell to detoxify.

Sherie said he discovered that there was also a warrant out for the man's arrest as he had failed to appear in the Westport District Court on June 15.

The man was later taken to Greymouth to appear in court this morning.

Sherie said it was one of the stranger incidents he had attended in Westport.

"It is not often on a cold winter's night that we discover naked individuals walking the streets."

- Westport News