Gwynedd 'legend' busted for flashing Google Street View camera

In a town that grew around slate quarrying, a new fissure has been discovered. On a tour of Bethesda, Gwynedd, Google’s Street View car came across a fresh crack in the road.

Spotting the oncoming vehicle, a young man spun around, dropped his shorts and flashed his backside at Google’s cameras. In doing a full moonie, his posterior was recorded for posterity.

It means anyone looking for directions on a certain road in Bethesda, might now be in for a bit of a shock. The image was captured in July 2023 but it has only just come to light when it was shared on a local Facebook group.

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The mooning youngster was immediately hailed a “legend”. Most people found his spontaneous act of rebellion hilarious. “What a guy!” enthused one admirer. Others branded him a local hero. Maybe not the hero we need but perhaps the one we deserve.

However there were mixed views on his contribution to local services in a town that lies just outside Eryri (Snowdonia). “At least there’s somewhere to park my bike,” noted one man. Another sighed: “No wonder the buses don’t go that way anymore.”

Bethesda lies on Telford’s A5 road. In the 19th century it expanded rapidly as nearby Penrhyn Quarry grew to become the world’s largest slate mine. Part of the site is now occupied by Zip World, which operates Europe’s longest zipline.

The town now has a new claim to fame – Google’s infamous moonie: “Is this the back end of nowhere?” wondered one woman on social media on seeing the teenager’s bare buttocks. The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now - here’s how to sign up

Bethesda’s trouser-dropping prankster is not the first to pull off the stunt. In 2016, something a bit cheeky was also spotted in St James Street, Middlesbrough. 2018 was a vintage year for Street View flashers, with moonies caught on Google cameras in Toxteth, Liverpool, and in Hayes, near Heathrow Airport. More recently, a Maidenhead moonie was captured by Google.

In fact, much worse has appeared on Street View: couples have been caught having sex in a Manchester backstreet, in a French clothes store and in the Australian Outback. Women have flashed their boobs for the cameras and one poor man, caught short on a road trip, was pictured having a number two by his car.

A Liverpool dog walker bared his manhood for the cameras and, in 2022, images went viral of a man engaged in a “solo sex act” in his bedroom in a small Devon village. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday

Google says it uses “cutting edge” face and license plate blurring technology to protect people’s privacy on its maps. However the tech can strike a bum note when it comes to moonies. These can be subsequently pixellated if users make a request.

Google said: “If you see that your face or license plate requires additional blurring, or if you would like us to blur your entire house, car, or body, submit a request using the ‘Report a problem’ tool. We don’t allow sexually explicit content.”

Certain content is considered inappropriate but there are exceptions. It means users can now decide for themselves if the Bethesda moonie has “artistic, educational or documentary value”.

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