Police update on man who 'nibbled' child's ear at World Snooker Championship in creepy footage

The ear 'nibbling' occurred whilst Stephen Hendry was speaking during a break in coverage at the World Snooker Championship

BBC
Holly Bishop

By Holly Bishop


Published: 12/06/2024

- 22:36

The clip went viral, receiving over 12 million views within the first 24 hours

Police have given an update on a man who “nibbled” a child’s ear live on air at the World Snooker Championship.

The bizarre moment was caught on camera as seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry was speaking during a break in coverage of the event at the Crucible in Sheffield.


The clip, which features a grown man whispering into a boy’s ear before proceeding to bite his lobe, went viral back in April.

The child seemed unfazed as he then waved to a camera, after which the man pulled back and proceeded to grin.

Stephen Hendry with incident in the backgroundThe ear 'nibbling' occurred whilst Stephen Hendry was speaking during a break in coverage at the World Snooker ChampionshipBBC

It is not clear what the relation between the two is.

South Yorkshire Police confirmed that they were “reviewing” the footage after being made aware of the video.

“Yesterday, Thursday 25 April at 9.20pm, we received a call to inform us of a video circulating on social media of a man and a boy at the Crucible in Sheffield,” they said after the incident.

“We are aware of the footage and officers will be reviewing the content.”

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Man nibbling child's ear

It is not clear what the relation between the two is

BBC

A spokesperson for the World Snooker Tour then added: “We are aware of this incident and it is now a police matter.”

However, almost two months later, police have finally given a fresh update on the case.

Posting on social media, the force said: “Following review of the video, officers have determined no crime has been committed and the investigation has been filed.”

The video, which amassed over 12 million views within 24 hours, was flooded with comments from concerned fans expressing their horror.

Stephen Hendry

The bizarre moment was caught on camera as seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry was speaking during a break in coverage

PA

The caption of the video read: “What the f*** did I just see?!” with a sick emoji.

One person wrote: “This is totally disgusting and he needs locking up for sure.

“He even nibbled the child's ear then realised he was on film and shook his head like that.”

“This is very troubling”, another said, while a third added “I just threw up”.

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