Cops called off a huge police search when they realised the body they were searching for was actually just a scarecrow.
Pensioner Philip Ferriby was questioned by police after an eagle-eyed motorist spotted what he thought was a lifeless body in the back of his Bedford CF2 recovery truck on a busy motorway and reported it.
West Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Pol
ice and Humberside Police combined forces, sent officers racing to Philip's home in Bradford to track him down and question neighbours and scrambled a police helicopter in a desperate bid to find the unlikely 'criminal'.
The vintage vehicle exhibitor was finally traced - at the quaint Gowdall Scarecrow and Pumpkin Festival in Selby, where he was questioned by police about the strawfilled-body last month.
The 66-year-old said: "The officer just laughed when he realised the body they'd been looking for was a scarecrow. I was stunned when he said he'd better call off the air search.
"My scarecrow was life-size, but I'm not sure he looked much like a human.
"I didn't see the funny side at first, it was embarrassing being questioned by officers at a busy public event and everyone wanted to know what I'd done wrong - my neighbours must have feared the worst."
A Humberside Police spokeswoman said: "West Yorkshire Police responded to a call from a concerned member of the public about a vehicle carrying a suspicious load on the M62.
"Officers spoke to the vehicle owner and were satisfied there was nothing suspicious to report. While this was a case of mistaken identity, it's always better to investigate than to let a possible crime go undetected."
