Man In Homemade Armoured Underpants Arrested For Bank Robbery
TO Portland, Oregon, where Mark Fischer has been arrested for attempting to break into an ATM machine.
When police arrested him, Fischer tossed pepper spray at them. In his backpack they found an acetylene torch, large knife and stun gun. The 32-year-old was wearing not one, but two ballistic vests. But the most notable part of this caper is that Fishers was wearing bullet-proof underpants.
These were not off-the-shelf armoured knickers, but normal pants into which Fischer (or his mum, perhaps) had sewn metal plates.
Fischer has been charged with being a felon in possession of body armour, attempted aggravated theft, attempted assault on a police officer, attempted escape, menacing, possession of burglary tools and interfering with a peace officer.
This got us thinking: can you buy armoured pants?
Yes. You can.
British forces deploying to Helmand are given the “combat codpiece”, the anti-blast underpants.
* They look like black cycling shorts, but are made from special ballistic material crafted from silk and synthetics, which is ultra-lightweight but can stop or mitigate the effects of most small pieces of shrapnel and dirt travelling at high velocity after a blast…
The “combat codpiece” comes in camouflage colours, and looks like a bulky pair of underpants which tie on at both sides, which is worn over the trousers. It can be rolled up and clipped to a belt at the back of a pair of trousers with two velcro straps, and then – when needed on patrol – be pulled through the legs to clip together at the sides to form a protective pouch.
For just over £500, anyone can buy a Demining EOD Vest + Groin & Collar Protection.
Technology moves on. In World War 2, the groin armour seemed a little on the short side.
And now.
But the golden age of groin protestors was surely when men were proud to wear armour, and armour was proud enough to accommodate proud men:
A detail showing the groin defence on the Greenwich armour garniture, English, 1540 worn by mature Henry VIII.
No. Not that. This:
Take no prisoners.
Posted: 6th, March 2014 | In: Strange But True Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
