It was the stuff of legends - a mythical giant fish that had been lurking in a park lake for more than 20 years but had never been caught. Some questioned whether the elusive monster catfish, dubbed the 'Beast of Billericay', had ever existed in the first place or if it was just another fisherman's tale. But Pete Hudd proved the doubters wrong by reeling in the 50lb 4oz catch during a late night fishing session with friends. Monster fish: Pete Hudd, 26, holds up the 50lb catfish - dubbed 'The Beast of Billericay - which had avoided capture for 20 years Reel big catch: Pete Hudd, pictured at Lake Meadows in Billericay, Essex, where he caught the fish, weighed his catch before posing for a picture - and tossing it back in After spending an hour wrestling with the fish to get it onto the bank he had it weighed, posed for a photograph - and then promptly tossed it straight back in. The 26-year-old landscape gardener said he used his secret garlic and tuna 'boili