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AIBU?

To have bashed this drone?

89 replies

Dronebasher · 23/02/2019 18:54

Went for walk/picnic along the river today with DH and our 3 small DC. While we were eating lunch a group of boys maybe 9-11 years old appeared and were a short distance from us climbing an old tree that had half fallen in the water. Eventually they egged each other on and a few of them stripped off and were jumping into the river. We couldn't see a great deal but could hear them clear enough. DS7 was truly fascinated!

A few minutes after the boys start jumping in along comes a drone flying low. It's a giant bloody thing and comes right down over our heads. DH starts waving at and it carries on to where the boys are and is just hovering. Now the boys are hooting and hollering at it while throwing stones. I go running over yelling put your clothes on that thing is taking pictures of you! The drone is now hovering and zipping around a few feet over our heads and making no move to leave. I pick up a fallen branch and start swinging at it and managed to make contact. It ended up in the river.

Lo and behold the owner shows up ten minutes later in absolute rage saying he's going to report me to the police for destroying his drone. I tell him it wasn't safe to be flying so damn close to people and he was clearly taking pictures of naked children. He says they were in public and he can take photos if he wants. We ended up leaving with the gaggle of boys following us (I think at this point they were all fairly spooked).

It really wasn't the afternoon I expected and now I'm wondering if I'll be contacted by the police!

OP posts:

Report

HedgePlastic · 23/02/2019 18:55

This reply has been deleted

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HoptoitDufflepuds · 23/02/2019 18:56

Honestly, report it yourself. If the owner was aware of the regulations etc of flying them I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have been angry so much as apologetic.

kbPOW · 23/02/2019 18:57

I would have done exactly what you did!

Grimbles · 23/02/2019 18:58

How warm was it where you were today?

dublinruth · 23/02/2019 18:58

I also think you should contact the police yourself.

Goodadvice1980 · 23/02/2019 18:58

Good for you OP.

Amateur drone users are a pain the arse.

What reason did he give for flying the damn thing in that area so close to your family and the other children?

CuriousaboutSamphire · 23/02/2019 18:58

Call the non emergency number, right now!

Just explain everything and ask for their advice.

I can think if 2 or 3 laws the drone owner was breaking without the filming of nude minors....

ReaganSomerset · 23/02/2019 18:59

I'd report it to the police first tbh. Yes, you may get into trouble for destruction of property but that guy was taking pictures of naked children and needs reporting.

ReaganSomerset · 23/02/2019 19:01

@Grimbles, dunno about where OP was but it was a balmy 18 degrees this week where I am.

PanamaPattie · 23/02/2019 19:01

The water must have been freezing.

Nacreous · 23/02/2019 19:01

www.gov.uk/government/news/drones-are-you-flying-yours-safely-and-legally

He's breaching the regulations to fly it close enough for you to hit it. I don't know how that interacts with your destruction of his property, but I would imagine he wouldn't be too sensible to pursue it, especially if he was photographing children who weren't dressed.

Not sure what I would have done, as I don't know how one can know it's taking photos but the whole experience sounds jolly unpleasant.

WeCameToDance · 23/02/2019 19:02

Cant fathom why anyone would call you a drama queen! I hate drones and wouldn't have been happy with one in my vicinity and probably would have swung for one if it came into my personal space.
Also if you could see it was taking pictures of shirtless boys then you definately were not wrong. The anger of the man was most likely in relation to the fact he knew he was doing something very wrong and expected to get away with it.

Xiaoxiong · 23/02/2019 19:02

Grimbles my DSs stripped off on Thursday and went in the sea!! Lunatics.

ChandelierSail · 23/02/2019 19:02

He was breaking the law. You're not allowed to fly a drone within 50 meters of a person. And it was obviously a lot closer than that if you could hit it with a stick! Serves him right!!

BrizzleMint · 23/02/2019 19:03

If he turned up 10 minutes later and his drone was in the river then how did he know it was you?

GreyGardens88 · 23/02/2019 19:03

I hate drones and think they should be banned for public use

BelleSausage · 23/02/2019 19:03

@Grimbles

It was a balmy 15 degrees today in the sun near me. I wouldn’t have been stripping off to get in a river but kids seem fairly immune to cold. So cut the OP some slack.

SexNotJenga · 23/02/2019 19:04

YANBU. I think you are unlikely to hear from the police either.

I despise drones like I despise littering.

Goodadvice1980 · 23/02/2019 19:04

He would have seen who hit the drone as it was recording.

HoptoitDufflepuds · 23/02/2019 19:05

We're east of England and it's been warm enough for the kids to choose to put shorts on! (Admittedly not hot but they were trampolining in the garden.

Grimbles · 23/02/2019 19:05

So cut the OP some slack

I've not had a go at them

Hot4Holes · 23/02/2019 19:05

Struggling to believe the 10 year olds stripped naked in public tbh.

Barrenfieldoffucks · 23/02/2019 19:05

I'd have done the same tbh.

Glorious day here, bright warm sunshine.

ILoveMaxiBondi · 23/02/2019 19:05

If it was low enough for you to hit it then he was breaking the law. I would report him. He sounds like a perv tbh.

BrizzleMint · 23/02/2019 19:07

He would have seen who hit the drone as it was recording

But it records onto the drone's memory doesn't it? If the drone was in the river it'd be ruined, yes?

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