Have You Seen This Man?

It is not the most chilling portrait of a murderer but you have to credit the artist's arresting touches.

The head is shaped like a rugby ball, the lips slide to one side, the nose is phallic, the ears are missing and the hair is having a very bad day.

The image, used by Bolivian police to hunt a killer, has been dubbed the world's worst photo-fit. Some have compared it a child's rendition of the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz.

But the mockery seems misplaced: police tracked down two suspects after the photo-fit's release.

They are believed to have been involved in the slaying of Rafael Vargas, a taxi driver from the city of Santa Cruz whose charred body was found last March. He had been stabbed 11 times.

A woman who lived in the area drew police a sketch of a man she said killed Vargas and set fire to the corpse. At least three men were thought to be involved.

Bolivian television news showed the image, accompanied by dramatic music, and asked: have you seen this man? 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/24/bolivia-photo-fit-murderer

Despite all the scoffers, when the police made the arrest they were shocked to see how accurate the drawing had actually been.

 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/24/bolivia-photo-fit-murderer