Is this guy a peado or am I being paranoid?

I'm shocked people are jumping to paedo here.

My local park has a children's play park area that is surrounded by benches that are for anyone's use. It's not unusual to see people alone or with dogs sitting on them. They might even - shock, horror - pick up their phone. Some of them even have proper camera equipment because, y'know, they like taking pictures of leaves and dogs and stuff.

It'll be a sad day when men can't even go to their local park because and go about their perfectly legal busienss because they're scared people will accuse them of something nefarious.

I would take the best photo you can and pop into your local police station.

I wouldn't be comfortable either.

Yes a park with a play area of kids equipment which is unenclosed is a children's play area

Honestly, I dont know why youre bending over backwards to defend this man, who at best, needs to learn to behave appropriately around little children, but thats your business

I would just cite my concern with the people running the park, as its happened a few times now

The play park isn’t enclosed from the wider park

Does it? It says he's sitting on a park bench in a park near a children's play area.

He's in a public park and using his phone

It's not clearly different at all, you're just holding your phone up.

No

He's in the park which has a kid's play area as part of it.

He's not hanging around a kid's play park

Who cares, everyone knows what pedo means

Take it to pedants corner if it offends you so

No it's not. As someone has pointed out already, that is the American spelling. There is no "accepted alternative". If you are American you are using the correct spelling. If you are British then you are using the incorrect spelling.

It clearly says that hes in an unenclosed children's play area

A man in a children's park, holding his phone up so it looks like youre taking photos - which is clearly different than holding it to type or scroll, is cause for concern when done repeatedly in a children's play area.

Even though there isn't any evidence this man was even taking photos, just chiming in with the guidance on my local police force's website (my bolding for emphasis):

"There is no law preventing people from taking photographs or a video in public. This includes taking photos of other people’s children.

If you are taking photographs or a video from private land, you need to have the land owner’s permission. Taking a photo or video of a person where they can expect privacy, such as inside their home or garden, is likely to cause a breach of privacy laws.

Unless the images or footage are indecent, no one has the right to:

• ask a photographer to stop
• ask for a copy of the photos or footage
• force a photographer to delete the photographs or footage"

My niece and her friends (young teens) were videoed regularly by a guy as they left the train returning home from school. My sister reported it to the station staff and the police were notified. They said that it is not illegal to film/take photos of children in public places and they could only act if the guy approached the girls.

If he's always there at the same time then I'd call 101 and let them know. They could have a pcso do a patrol of the park.

Taking photos of children in public isn't illegal but if he's a paedophile he may be know to the police or have conditions of not hanging round playgrounds.

The park warden?! 😆😆😆😆😆

I think i would report him to the police amd they can check him out

He’s a pedo.

Those photos are probably uploaded to the dark web. Call the police.

I'd take photos of him, not subtley either. He may get the message. I'd also speak to 101 just to let them know your concerns. It might be entirely innocent but imagine something did happen and you didn't say anything?

I’ve reported things like this to 101 and the police did take it seriously and investigate. I’d do that here too

🙄 see my response above.

I would report this to the police. I don’t know why anyone in their right mind would think it ok to take photos of other people’s children. And I don’t understand how so many have defended it. Parents aren’t allowed to take photos of nativity plays because other people’s children would be in the shot.

I think convicted sex offenders aren’t allowed to hang around schools, play grounds etc. so if, as PP, said the police wouldn’t be interested, then that’s just another failure

Well you can go to extremes in discussion, or you can look objectively. I prefer the latter.

I’d also prefer strangers not to be able to take my or my children’s’ photo and do with it what they wish. That could be published on the internet on paedophile porn sites, it could be wanking over it in privacy. It could be throwing darts at it. It could be publishing it in a national magazine. Wherever I’d rather stop it at source.

And the OP did neither, she opted for peado.

It makes me think of those eejits in South Wales who confused paedophile with paediatrician and targeted a doctor's house.
People should be careful throwing accusations about.

Saudi … reknown for their progressive civil liberties.

Your argument that others might assume he has kids with him each time and not notice otherwise, but you know for certain that he doesn't and is just sitting there using his phone (which is in no way inappropriate) is the only strange behaviour in your post.

Stop watching one specific stranger out in public on his own and focusing on what you think he might be doing.

Seems like if a man kept looking at you and took a weird interest in how often you were there and what you were doing you'd go mad!

Legal regulations allow chopping off hands; societal norms treat women as second class citizens. I don't think we should be looking to Saudi Arabia for guidance!