A life-sized figure of a Doctor Who villain may have picked up a new enemy after being stolen from outside the front of his owners’ house.

The 6ft Cyberman had been residing in the front garden of Nic Kent’s house on Rye Road, Sandhurst, amusing passersby for many years.

But 68-year-old Mr Kent discovered the Cyberman, who is named Horace, had been taken on Thursday morning.

Doctor Who fan Mr Kent is, however, optimistic of getting Horace back to his rightful home, pointing out: “There are not too many silver Cybermen floating around really, are there?”

He says Cyber Horace, who sports a grey helmet and is made of fibreglass, has lived with the family for decades.

The retired program manager said: “He has been out the front of the house for a couple of years at least. He does amuse the locals.

“People stop and take photos with him. Then, the other day, one of our neighbours said ‘Your Cyberman has been stolen’ and so he has.

"Somebody has cut the ropes where he had been tied to the tree and he has been taken which is rather disappointing.

“We have had him for a long time, so it is a bit of a loss.

“Literally, everybody knows our Cyberman. Everybody stops to take photos next to it, so he is very well known.”

Originally created by a student in the 1970s, the figure has undergone many changes over the years.

He has lived with Mr Kent and his wife, Jacqui, in Kent and the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

Mr Kent said: “People just used to randomly dress him. One day, he had a tutu on.

“Another day, he was dressed in the ‘118-118’ uniform. So people have dressed him up in all sorts of stuff. One day, somebody put a face mask on him.

“People certainly know about Cyber Horace.”

Dressed as a pirate, he was the figurehead on a raft in 1991 and helped collect the highest sponsorship for the Rye raft race that year.

Intergalactic baddies Cybermen, along with Daleks, have been Doctor Who villains since the 1960s.

A police spokesman said: "Kent Police is investigating the reported theft of a model figure from the front garden of a house in Rye Road, Cranbrook.

"The incident happened between midnight on Tuesday, May 4 and 6am on Wednesday, May 5 and officers are appealing for anybody with information to contact 01622 604100, quoting crime reference 46/76659/21.

"You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555111 or using the anonymous online form found on the Crimestoppers website."

Mr Kent says the Cyberman was created by an art student, Dave Goulding, who made the fibreglass mould using his own body at what then was the Middlesex Polytechnic.

He was named Horace after a Latin master at Dulwich College.

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