Angry with myself...

[DONNA1458]

yesterday i went to heaton park with my friend and her two year old little girl, wewere sat on the grass when an oldish guy takes a picture i thought he took it over us but he then moved forward and said let me get a closer one of you, shocked and in disbelief i told him you cannot take pics of kids without there parents consent he backtracked then saying he was taking it of me and my friend and i told him we aint given permission either and he said well if thats the way you feel and deleted them im sure he didnt delete both. But my friend if she was on her own is shy and wouldnt have said anything, im so angry i didnt take the camera off him and smash it but my partner said he could have had anything in his pockets and hurt us but still feel angry about not doing more i was just so shocked.

[4getmenot]

did you go to police?

[DONNA1458]

not gone to police informed the park reception

[4getmenot]

thats good, dont fret about it. Yes you could have smashed it up but with laws nowadays you'd have probably been the one getting arrested for damage

[johnlambert]

I can sympathise with your feelings, however you cannot take someones property from them and smash it. If you did that then you!!!! would be in the wrong, possibly with the police pressing charges against you. Remember, you only suspect that he was only taking photo's of youer friends little girl and that he didn't delete them you need proof, and then report him to the police.
you did the right thing by confronting him, perhaps you should alert the police about him and give them a description of what he lookee like, clothes he was wearing etc?

[paulos66]

Go to the police now - you'll be more than angry if you don't and an incident occurs

[Ethel]

It is not an offence to take photos in a public place.

Insensitive and rude, but not an offence. If it were, there would be no paparazzi.

Schools, swimming pools and so on are private places and they can make their own rules. But this man has not done anything illegal.

[jno]

if he came and asked your permission, I should be surprised if he was up to no good; he'd have been more secretive about it if he was. People have a right to take photos in a public place, so as johnlambert says it's just as well you didn't try to commit an assault on him.

[sophie_1003]

he may have a right to take photos in a public place but asking to take a close up before even asking if he could take their photo is a bit much!

[paulos66]

jno - would you be more likely to report this sort of incident if the man asked for permission or if he ran off? I suspect the latter as that would have confirmed he was up to no good.

[EngTeach]

Ethel is right. When my friend and I were about 16 her mom took us to a pool. An old man was shooting video under the water. When we complained the staff said he was allowed to do that. Of course we were whisked from the pool by friend's mom.

Now I wish someone would want my bootom in a bathing suit on film.LOL

[jno]

I wouldn't be much inclined to report the incident at all, though I would have refused permission for close-ups. But my own camera has a zoom, so I can take close-ups without actually being near people, and I do, sometimes even of children. I'm not a pervert, just an amateur photographer. The world is full of them; there are far more photographers than paedophiles. Other people just taking photos doesn't bother me in the least, though I'd be more protective of my child than of myself. Anyway, since this guy made himself known, I wouldn't be scared of him at all, and I certainly wouldn't have been wanting to smash his camera. There's no need to feel violence towards anyone who looks at you.

[paulos66]

Ok so it's not illegal to take photos, but this bloke obviously made you feel uncomfortable. If you report it to the police they will check to see if anything similar has been reported and if so this might be the extra they need. Don't be concerned about the photographer - if he is innocent the worst that will happen is he'll get a shock and it'll probably make him think twice before being so intrusive in future (and you'll save his camera - cos I for one would have smashed it)

[Neilzulu1]

My two sons are involved in kids football and plays on public parks. No one is allowed to take photographs or record them without my permission.

This would also apply to what has happened here. Child protection is very strict on this subject.

[paulos66]

jno, I would certainly report you if I seen you lurking with your telephoto lens taking photos of children

[Katie~77]

You've just reminded me of something I read in my local paper.

http://www.shropshirestar.co.uk/2006/09/air-sh ow-mans-photo-shame/