A man who dressed in a latex black “gimp suit” and terrified female motorists on a rural road in Somerset has been found guilty of causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress.

Joshua Hunt, 32, left one woman fearing she was being abducted and caused another to break down in tears after crawling and writhing on the floor wearing an all-black outfit and mask on 7 and 9 May.

He was caught after a police officer found his van reversing from the entrance of a field, with Hunt telling the officer: “I am not a gimp – I do not own a gimp suit. I am not in a gimp suit.”

A search of his vehicle found a number of masks, black gloves, black tape and clothing and a UV white marker. Subsequent searches of his property found a disturbing journal entry, in which he had written a story about a character named Jack who created masks made of women’s tights.