Northampton priest demands apology after semi-naked woman 'projected' onto church tower in strip poker night promotion

No More Page 3 said it was 'good there's been a backlash' to the stunt, after local residents expressed anger at the casino involved

The casino which carried out the stunt said it 'meant no offence' by the promotion, which saw a 30ft semi-naked model projected onto the church tower at All Saints', Northampton

A parish priest has demanded an apology after a casino appeared to have projected a 30ft image of a semi-naked woman onto the side of his church in Northampton.

The image was released as part of a publicity stunt for local casino Aspers, which said it was hosting a strip poker night on Valentine’s Day that would feature the model involved.

But having claimed the stunt had “shocked shoppers” on Saturday night, the casino later issued a statement saying it had never actually happened. Aspers apologised for any offence called, explaining the picture was “doctored” on a computer rather than projected on the church itself.

Father David McConkey, the priest at All Saints, Northampton, told the BBC he felt he had been “badly used” as part the “distasteful” stunt.

He had earlier told the Independent: “I am appalled, and I want an apology from the perpetrators.”

The casino told the Northampton Chronicle: “Naturally we are sorry if anyone was offended by this picture”, while its publicity company's director said he would be meeting with bosses to discuss “making amends” to those affected - starting with Father David.

Updated: An earlier version of this article reported the casino's claims that a picture had been projected on to the church