A man has become the first in the UK to be arrested over videos filmed of women on nights out without their consent, with some in vulnerable states.
The 27-year-old from Bradford was taken into custody on suspicion of stalking and harassment after reports of women being followed, filmed and harassed in Manchester city centre.
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Though filming on a public street is not a crime, it can cross the line into harassment, and women who discovered they had been targeted were asked to report it to police.
Greater Manchester police (GMP) said they had received a number of reports and, while investigating, found more content locked under paywalled accounts, which included footage of suspected non-consensual nudity and upskirting.
The arrest is thought to be the first of its kind in the country linked with viral videos of women filmed on nights out, some of them while drunk or alone on the street.
I’m in no way a fan of cops or the ‘legal’ system and its only recourse being arresting/charging people.
However, I am glad it’s being recognised as an actual problem, just hoping something actually useful and sustainable can come out of it, such as teaching folks this is a horrible thing to do and getting them to think about why.
I doubt it will as punishment is not shown to necessarily make people think about the patriarchy or feelings of entitlement to people’s bodies, but it might stop this behaviour and might be talked about inadvertently leading to that outcome, we can only hope.
He was arrested for harassment, which was already illegal. This is one of those laws that they use as an “enhancement”, on top of the actual reason for arrest, rather than the reason for arrest itself.
Thanks for letting us know!