Arrested man had medical issues: PSNI

A SUSPECT arrested in a shopping centre in Co Armagh following claims of indecent behaviour was an elderly man with medical issues, police have said.

Officers arrested him on Tuesday after being made aware of a series of incidents at High Street Mall in Portadown.

A child reported the man to their parents, who then contacted the PSNI.

He was arrested on suspicion of outraging public decency and taken into custody.

However, police later said the man is aged and suffering with “more medical issues than anything else”.

The PSNI in Craigavon, posting on its Facebook page, said it was “a truly sad case”.

It added that the man was now in the care of health service professionals.

In an apparent reference to recent publicity surrounding so-called paedophile hunter vigilante groups, the PSNI said the case was a reminder of why some investigations needed to be treated sensitively.

“Whilst we will follow up with the original reporting child in this case, our NHS colleagues have taken over with the elderly male and will now ensure that care and supervision is in place,” the PSNI said on Facebook.

“We won’t be going into details on the specifics of either party, but I hope those who follow the page will take me at my word when I say that this is a truly sad case, with no winner, no victory, but now two people who need help and support.

“This is a prime example of why investigations, especially sensitive ones, need to be done in a certain way. What may, on the face of it, appear to everyone to be one thing can very quickly become something else.”