Onlookers watched in dismay as a student was stripped and taped to a tree in a graveyard.
In a bizarre prank, the student was bound to a tree in St Peter's Church cemetery and sprayed with red paint.
Wearing only his underpants to protect him from the chilly air, he was repeatedly wrapped with clear sticky tape at about 1.20pm yesterday.
Pedestrians passing the scene on North Hill in Colchester were so concerned for the student's safety they contacted police.
Colchester operational support Sgt Rennie Chivers said: "We did attend but when we got there all we found was tape. There was no-one there."
Sgt Chivers described the unusual goings-on as a "schoolboy prank".
Vicar of St Peter's Church, the Rev Robin Wilson, said he was not particularly concerned about the prank.
"The place is open ground. Although it is ours, people are free to wander around and some students do sit there," he said.
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