LONDON — It wasn't Batman, it was a joker. A day after making headlines around the world for handing over a suspect to police dressed as Batman, the identity of Britain's mysterious caped crusader has been revealed as Stan, a take-out food delivery man.
Police in Bradford, northern England, were baffled when a portly figure in an ill-fitting Batman costume brought them a 27-year-old man wanted for burglary in the early hours of Feb. 25 before disappearing into the night.
They released closed-circuit television footage of the incident on Monday and, after much speculation, the masked hero disclosed his true identity to media on Tuesday. He was not Batman's alter ego Bruce Wayne, but driver Stan Worby, 39.
He also said he had not brought the man in as part of any crime-fighting crusade.
He had simply agreed to accompany a friend to the police station to offer him moral support, and had decided to wear the Batman suit as a practical joke.
"Obviously it was done as a joke," he told ITV's Daybreak program, saying he was "gobsmacked" by the attention.
Worby said he had been to London's Wembley Stadium earlier in the day to watch local team Bradford City play in the English Capital One Cup soccer final and had worn fancy dress for the occasion.
While there, Worby was contacted by his friend and agreed to take him in on his return from London.
"Obviously he wanted to get straight down there and I wanted my bed as it was half (past) one in the morning," Worby said.
He also insisted the pictures which showed he perhaps lacked the body of a superhero were unfair.
"I've got my full tracksuit underneath," he explained.
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