Naked climber on offensive weapon charge

A man who stripped naked on top of a statue in central London has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

Dan Motrescu, 29, a Ukrainian of no fixed abode, was also charged with criminal damage, Scotland Yard said.

He is due to appear at Westminster magistrates' court today.

The section of Westminster was brought to a halt for nearly three hours on Friday as Mr Motrescu straddled the statue in front of hordes of onlookers.

He was seen in a variety of poses on the statue of Prince George, the Duke of Cambridge, in Whitehall, waving his arms around and was talking to crews on the ground and at times balancing precariously on the Duke's head.

Onlookers said he was clothed before he climbed to top of the statue.

A 100-metre stretch of Whitehall was cordoned off as emergency services tried to persuade him to come down.