Son Cashes in With Sale of Pinochet Suits

Are you portly, male and a fan of rightwing dictators? And on the lookout for a second-hand suit? If so, there's good news from Santiago.

Items from Augusto Pinochet's wardrobe have gone on sale at a tailor's shop in the Chilean capital. To buy one you need at least £1,000 - double that for some outfits - and proof that you supported the former president's 17-year rule.

Augusto Pinochet Hiriart, the general's elder son, inherited the clothes because he is the same size as his father, who died last year aged 91. Having worn them just a few times he gave the suits to D'Adriany, a downtown tailor's shop, to sell. But only to the dictator's fans.

"They are the best modern suits that he used at home or to go out for special activities, though not for special ceremonies," Mr Pinochet Hiriart told La Tercera, a daily newspaper.

Augusto junior has repeatedly been accused of trying to ride on his father's coattails - first for receiving $3m in cheques from the Chilean army, then by selling Pinochet wine, and now literally by selling the coat tails. He rejected a single offer of £6,800 for all 20 items.

With the general's estate frozen pending criminal investigations, the family is reportedly hard up.