A man who has been repeatedly arrested for trying to walk the length of Britain naked was given a brief respite Thursday when prosecutors in southern England dropped charges against him.

Two naked demonstrators walk down the street outside Britain's Houses Of Parliament to protest the right to be naked in public. A naked rambler who has been arrested eight times as he attempts to walk the length of Britain said he is determined to finish his trek following his latest brush with the law.   [Reuters]

But Steve Gough, seeking to trek 847 miles wearing little more than sunscreen, socks and boots, still faces charges in Scotland, where he is in jail awaiting trial next month.

Gough left Land's End in southwest England on June 16 bound for John O'Groats village in northern Scotland, hoping to cover about 20 miles a day on foot. Fifteen miles and one day later, he was arrested in St. Ives and charged with breaching the peace. The case was abandoned after magistrates found he had not committed a criminal offense.

Three days later, he was arrested in the Cornish coastal resort of Newquay and charged with indecent behavior. That charge was dropped Thursday because there wasn't enough evidence, court officials said. Similar charges brought June 21 were also dropped.

The 44-year-old father of two, who insists it is his right to walk naked, is due to stand trial at Dingwall Sheriff Court in the Scottish Highlands on Oct. 3 for allegedly breaching the peace. He is currently in jail in Inverness, 155 miles north of Edinborough.

On Thursday, Gough's supporters said they planned to demonstrate in London over the weekend to protest his imprisonment.

There is no law in Britain against public nudity, although there are laws against indecent exposure — which requires proof of intent to insult a woman — or any behavior likely to cause "harassment, alarm or distress."

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