HOUDINI CONNECTIONS

Police files
INCIDENT IN WAPPING
(a true story)

London - May 2004

Hot scenario: biker/game-player agrees to arrive at a city block of flats and be ‘taken over' by a person he'd never met face-to-face before. Safe enough for both players because they'd first exchanged several e-mails setting parameters - then talked on the phone before setting the date - then checked each other's credentials via somebody who knew them both. Confirmed - one, a reliable bondage-and-control game-player - the other, up for a first-time heavy challenging experience in leather bondage.

Owner of flat in trendy riverside apartment instructs motorcyclist to wear chastity cock-lock previously sent to him by post + wear full leathers and heaviest boots +- phone when sitting outside automatic gates (not take helmet off). Garage entrance would open - drive in - park bike and wait facing wall.

Small block of flats all owned by workaholics in the City - no families. Garage deserted during daytime. Owner waits by internal door to confirm no one else about in garage area - hunky leather motorcyclist does as instructed. Keep him waiting for a while - tense situation for both to enjoy.

Voice behind motorcyclist “Take you helmet off and hand it back to me. Keep facing the wall”.
This done, efficient blindfold handed to him “Put this on”. Does so, then handed helmet to replace and strap closed - visor down.
“Now, hands behind back”. Handcuffs close over bike gloved wrists. “Walk”.

Steered blindly through internal door to concrete steps.
“Three floors up. The building's empty, I checked”.
Heavy breathing inside helmet - heavy going sightless in heavy boots.

Flat owner had not anticipated Estate Agent showing clients around a flat coming up for sale.

*****

Not a word spoken - very British. Lady Estate Agent and her two clients silently move downstairs and leave as quickly as possible. Inside apartment owner very disconcerted - but decides to proceed. Having got leather-clad biker efficiently strung up in well equipped bedroom/playroom, silently changes blindfold for heavy leather hood which include gag - without his ‘victim' being allowed to speak or see his ‘captor'.
Door phone buzzes.

Flat-owner looks out of window - two squad cars and a large white police Incident van. (I am not making this up - it happened early in year 2004)

Brief word on entry phone and owner buzzes them in downstairs. Boots on stairs plus lift coming up. Only two policemen, both dressed for action and armed. Polite but they have received phone call describing encountering handcuffed man on stairs.

Owner decides honesty is best policy: a professional man of some experience - admits his indulgence in serious power-game playing - opens bedroom door to show hooded leather encased figure lashed to sturdy metal frame in stress position. Elaborate play-cupboard open revealing variety of hoods and restraint items. Obviously this is no one-off happening - a regular game not a kidnap. Policemen calm and after uncomfortable silence withdraws to the hallway without even addressing trussed and gagged figure. Much relieved when bedroom door is closed by the owner.

One copper not sure how to react - but his senior partner suppresses a grin and tactfully advises flat owner that such games could lead to trouble - but no action would be taken on this occasion. Second officer not so sure - but both leave.

Reeling from the intensity of the incident, flat owner looks out of window and sees a serious number of police officers grinning and falling about as they climb back into the van and two cars.

 

CONCLUSION:
It is amazing (and somewhat heartening) that this potentially disastrous real-life incident was handled in this manner by the police - and no trouble resulted.
It could have been horribly different. In these days of urban terrorism, any such activity being reported could result in sudden and drastic reaction. Charges could have been brought - and it's not un-known for individual police officers to leek information to the tabloid press.

Legally, the wiser police officer may have known that no actual law had been broken. The incident happened on private property and a prosecution would have been time-consuming and resulted in difficult decision-making for those responsible for bringing whatever charges.

TWO UNHAPPY OUTCOMES:
Because the event had so disconcerted the flat owner, his promising scene with the biker didn't continue. Perhaps even more sadly - not one of sixteen London policemen called out subsequently contacted the flat owner for more details and a closer look at the well-equipped play-space.

The above incident is so similar to an event I staged
some years ago at my home, it's now difficult to convince people that the real-life incident actually happened - but it did!

The scenario I contrived two years earlier was as follows ...

INCIDENT IN CLAPHAM

Couple of bondage enthusiasts came to visit because I'd made a moody-looking khaki canvas strait-jacket for one of them. His mate very much into army game-playing, so both arrived in cammo gear and boots.

Only fair to demonstrate the efficiency of the new strait-jacket and give the buyer some tips on how to strap it on efficiently. Another friend was visiting me at the time so two of us watched the buyer truss his mate into the tough new jacket over his army gear. A gag and a canvas bag over his head and he was happy as the proverbial pig … strapped standing against my chain frame rig.

Buyer looked seriously ready to get his turn strapped into the jacket himself - but I just happened to have another one which two willing pairs of hands strapped him into and fixed him back-to-back with his mate, before gagging and hooding him.

It was then that the doorbell started to ring very insistently. I excused myself to go downstairs to answer it. My colleague stayed to keep an eye on the well-strapped couple - until I called to him to come down and help sort out a problem.

*****

Heavy boots on stairs and my friend's angry voice protesting loudly. Authoritative voice insisting he must check out what's going on. Police officer in hi-vis jacket, bike leathers and boots firmly insisting he was only doing his duty - somebody had alerted the police.

In the room, the two hooded and gagged figures stood listening as the policeman explained that, when an incident is reported a report must be filed. He, by-the-book addressed the first of the two now rigid guys. “Excuse me sir, but - I need to ascertain whether or not you are here of your own free will”. Silence - mutter mutter from my stroppy friend - policeman warns him not to interfere.

Policeman repeats his question to the hooded buyer of the strait-jacket. Policeman then removes the canvas bag-hood - gagged figure stares into the eyes of motorcycle cop - who is still wearing his helmet. Gagged face nods.

“I see, sir” replies the cop to the very red gagged face before moving behind him to the other guy. Hood is dragged off - “Excuse me, sir. But I need verification that you, also, are here of your own free will?” More silent nods.
“Thank you, sir - then I needn't trouble you any further!” - and cop replaces canvas sack over gagged head.

Returning to look closely into embarrassed face of new owner of the khaki strait-jacket ...
”Seems to me, sir,” says the cop turning to me - you could use an extra pair of hands to make sure these two give you no further trouble!” as he pulls the canvas bag back down over a pair of very startled eyes.

*****

The fact that I'd set up for another mate of mine to impersonate a motorcycle cop - get dressed downstairs and wait for his cue ... and carry out this ‘Mind-fuck' … was something it took time to sink in on the two well-trussed and disconcerted bondage enthusiasts. The cop stayed and added to the excitement of the event.

The similarity between the ‘mind-fuck' and what happened two years later for real in Wapping is an interesting co-incidence.

Both scenarios are also very reminiscent of the situation dreamed up by John Stapleton even earlier in his fictional story ‘Locked in Leather'. There, a motorcycle cop stops two bikers and discovers that the pillion passenger is gagged and blindfolded under his crash helmet and manacled into his leathers. The cop and a mate later pay a call on the two bikers. For link to this short excerpt see MINOR INCIDENTS or, for all the MOTORCYCLE MESSENGER stories, the main STORYLINES page.