Aug. 6 (UPI) — A British man wanted on an assault warrant turned himself in to police so they would take down the unflattering mug shot of him posted on Facebook.
Wayne Esmonde, 35, replied to a Facebook post by the South Wales Police Department recently, seeking information on his whereabouts, a common tactic for police departments in the digital age.
“I am him. Not a very flattering mugshot,” Esmonde wrote. “I’d appreciate it if you’d take this post down. Innocent until proven guilty and all that.”
He said he would consult with his attorney and subsequently surrendered on the charge, the BBC reported.
The police department obliged and removed the photo from Facebook, though if Esmonde’s real desire was to bury an embarrassing police photo, it backfired. The media attention generated by the unusual arrest brought far more exposure than the original post.
