ALTHOUGH pretty hard to miss, standing at 6ft 2ins, Percy the moving statue was last seen on Roydon Road, Launceston wearing a red waterproof coat, American sunglasses and a Gieves and Hawkes chauffeur hat, before he went missing last week.

He disappeared on the night of Tuesday, December 6, and has since returned home after his exciting one-day escapade.

Police were appealing for witnesses after Percy, described as a slim build, moving statue, was stolen overnight between Tuesday, December 6, to Wednesday, December 7.

Before he was taken, Percy resided in the front garden of Mr Brian Clark, of Roydon Road, Launceston — who only moved in four weeks ago. After discovering Percy had been taken Mr Clark said: “I have had Percy for nearly 40 years. I didn’t think anyone would steal him. He has been ‘Percy-napped’!”

It was whilst minding his own business in Mr Clark’s front garden that Percy was taken, or maybe, Mr Clark said, ‘he just wanted to explore his new town?’

Although looking a little more disheveled, Percy was returned home a day later, much to the delight of Mr Clark. He said: “I am pleased to report that Percy is back. He was dumped in the garden sometime in the night, I think around 11pm on Wednesday [December 7]!”

Police wrote on the Devon and Cornwall website on Thursday, December 8, after Percy had been found to say: “Police have learnt this morning that during the hours of darkness last night Percy was returned. We understand it has some damage to its arms that will need to be repaired.

“Police would like to thank the public for their help and are pleased Percy is now back at home.”

Mr Clark added: “Whoever took him probably found him too hot to handle after the media attention he received. I have to say thank you to those who shared the story on Facebook, my local neighbours and everyone for putting the pressure on whoever took him so that they brought him back! He has been on quite an adventure from the looks of things!”

Whilst he was still missing the Post spoke to Mr Clark to find out a little more about the ‘mischevious’ Percy, who has been known to disappear from time to time.

Explaining how he and Percy met, Mr Clark said that he had moved down to Launceston from Middlesex, London, in the 1960s with his mother, father and brothers. They lived in St Stephens for about 20 years before Mr Clark moved up to Midhurst, where he leased Gillham Service Station from a company called ‘National’ — today more commonly known as BP.

Mr Clark then moved back down to Launceston, about four weeks ago, from Midhurst, bringing Percy with him.

However, it was whilst up in Midhurst that Mr Clark and Percy first became acquainted, nearly 40 years ago. Mr Clark said: “I had gone along to a ‘publicans show’ up in London — it must have been about 40 years ago now. It really was a ‘boozy do’!

“Behind one of the bars there were these animated figures for sale, but they were all only 18-inch to two foot high, the type you would see outside a pub or in a shop window. I went up to the trader and — jokingly — said ‘these aren’t nearly big enough for what I would want, I would want one that is at least six foot two!’

“Well, to my surprise, and six months later, I got a phone call saying they had built a full size one. I couldn’t believe it!

“They brought him down from Wales and that’s when I first met Percy. He is unique, they only ever made one moveable statue; the rest were static. He was and maybe still is the only one made by that company that waved.”

Percy has been waving for the past 40 years but due to his recently sustained ‘injuries’ he will not be able to get dressed up as Santa this year — as was his tradition.

Percy has been no stranger to getting dressed up. Mr Clark explained that before Percy was taken he had been preparing him for Christmas. He said: “I was going to get Percy dressed up as Santa Claus so he could wave at everyone as they passed by.

“We usually get a pillow and stuff it up his cloak to give him his Santa belly. I was getting him ready to go and already had some of the outfit sorted but there isn’t a lot of point in getting the rest of it now as he won’t be fixed up until after Christmas!”

Mr Clark said that he was most upset about the fact that he ‘won’t be able to get Percy waving for Christmas’, adding: “I was going to plug him in soon and get him waving for Christmas — but I can’t now.”

However, Percy’s dressing up skills aren’t contained to just Christmas time, over the past 40 years he has dressed up in a number of costumes — including his every day ‘garage uniform’ Mr Clark had made for him so he could be a ‘proper member of staff’.

Mr Clark said: “One of the most exciting ones was when he was shot outside my garage! Yes, shot! He was dressed up as JR Ewing from Dallas and someone shot him — I still don’t know who — right through the head, between the eyes. Can you believe it? It was very exciting.”

As well as being dressed up as JR, Percy has been: a pirate complete with rum barrel, a firefighter fitted for his uniform by the West Sussex Fire Brigade ahead of the fire awareness tour he attended with them, and even as the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson (Fergie) on her wedding day.

Speaking about the time Percy wore his ‘beautiful’ white wedding gown to commemorate the wedding of Fergie, Mr Clark said: “We dressed him up as Fergie on the day of her wedding. I remember Fergie’s father [Ronald Ferguson], who was involved with the Polo club up the road from us, came over to see and said to me ‘take that ugly thing down!’ We all thought it was very funny — it was just a laugh.”

Percy has brought joy to many people with his outfits and it is hoped he will once again be waving and getting dressed up for special occasions so he can bring his own brand of fun from Midhurst to Launceston.

Following Percy’s recent escapade in his new home of Launceston, his return was welcomed by Mr Clark. However, he told the Post that Percy has sustained some ‘serious injuries’.

He said: “Percy is now looking a bit disheveled. He has a broken arm, a dislocated shoulder and a twisted neck. I have sent him to by brother’s workshop in Lifton now so that he can ‘assess his injuries’ but sadly it looks like Percy won’t be getting dressed up as Santa and waving at passers by this Christmas — sorry everybody!”