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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be concerned about drone catching images of my children in paddling pool

404 replies

Slightlygiganticpants · 04/07/2018 10:12

Last night whilst my dc were playing in the garden, (which is completely private and in a rural location, we have about 3 neighbours) a drone flew over several times. The dc were playing in the paddling pool at this time in various states of undress.

My dh got the children in and I went in search of the drone operator. Located him and started filming him with my phone. He was on the other side of the river from my house. He disliked my filming of him and we became engaged in a fairly heated debate with me calling him a pervert and possibly a peadophileBlush. Apparently what he was doing was completely legal (I believe drone was less than 50 meters from us but that is up for debate) and he wasn't filming the dc. He did also phone the police after I left and then came around and spoke to my dh.

I have looked into this since and have found out that this is legal! How? Surely this can't be right? Surely we have a right to privacy in our own garden!

OP posts:
BossPeeBeePee · 04/07/2018 11:28

This reply has been deleted

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slashlover · 04/07/2018 11:29

If the camera wasn't showing live footage then he may not even have know there was a house there with so much distance between him and you. River, trees, road etc.

As far as he may have been aware, he was in the middle of nowhere in the country using his drone when suddenly a woman appears, starts filming him and calling him a pervert.

I find it hard to believe that it's been at least 90 mins and you still haven't spoken to your husband about what was said.

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 04/07/2018 11:29

I was preempting the posters saying that he might like to watch children play etc.

If that was the excuse it'll be dodgy right away.

There are far more places he can go and film children if that was his intention, Beaches, swimming pools, parks... randomly hoping a rural house will have children in a paddling pool wouldn't be high on the list.

Of course there's a possiblitly he was playing with the drone and also happens to be a peodophile.....

thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter · 04/07/2018 11:31

@Bosspee not over someone’s house it isn’t.

Birdsgottafly · 04/07/2018 11:31

jumblefun2, as a point of law, she didn't accost him. We allow for Human emotion. At most, it would have been a potential breach of the peace.

The Police would have been on the side of the OP. You don't film children in a state of undress, end of. Why would you want to?

IwantedtobeEmmaPeel · 04/07/2018 11:31

Anyone who would keep flying their drone & filming over someone's private back garden and semi naked children is highly suspicious. Either a pervert/paedophile or casing the joint with a view to burglary. Either way the fucker is up to no good. Shame you didn't have an airgun or super soaker handy, I would make sure you have one of those to hand in preparation for future flying sorties by the pervy creep.

slashlover · 04/07/2018 11:32

Just reread and this happened last night so at least 14 hours and you haven't spoken to your husband but have posted on here?

Original poster
Slightlygiganticpants · 04/07/2018 11:32

I filmed him and he became angry because I was filming him and started shouting at me! This happened last night not 90 minutes ago!

OP posts:
jumblefun2 · 04/07/2018 11:32

I said accost. Not assault. Nor even assault and battery.

Accost means to go up to and speak "boldly or aggressively" to

FFS

lastnightidreamtofpotatoes · 04/07/2018 11:32

Yanbu to be on heightened alert but YWBVU to declare him a paedophile and pervert whilst filming him. No wonder he phoned the police.

If this was a one off event then YABU to complain about the 'invasion to your privacy'. If he was outside the 50m guideline (which it seems he was according to police who said it was legal) then whilst annoying BUT as a one off I wouldn't get too get up about it. You don't own airspace over your property and there are numerous satellites taking pictures everyday so in terms of total privacy it doesn't really happen.

I would have been more concerned about a potential burglar scouring the area for potential theft, I don't imagine many paedophiles drive rurally in the hope that a drone may pick up a naked kid in a paddling pool.

Poloshot · 04/07/2018 11:32

@Everanewbie you'd get done for criminal damage unfortunately

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 04/07/2018 11:32

How high was it?

Birdsgottafly · 04/07/2018 11:33

CaptainKirkssparetupee I'm on the side of the OP. That's what I suggested. I don't know why your are picking apart what I wrote. Taking sentences alone, when they mean something different when put all together?

She acted correctly. He was dodgy as fuck.

ShavenConnery · 04/07/2018 11:33

I'm confused - you say it was legal, but you also say he repeatedly flew over your garden. The law is a drone must stay 50m away from private property.

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 04/07/2018 11:34

Birdsgottafly

I'm not picking apart what you say.

Birdsgottafly · 04/07/2018 11:35

jumblefun2, I know. You are allowed to challenge people who behave, towards your children, in a manner you find unsavoury. The OP did nothing wrong and the reasons for her actions were done with protective intentions.

jumblefun2 · 04/07/2018 11:37

I said she accosted him. She DID accost him.

Birdsgottafly · 04/07/2018 11:39

You would have to be stupid to knock a drone down with water and not be able to make it look like a legitimate water fight. Particularly as the drone had two lots of previous images of water play.

Hopefully he's learned his lesson. The OP has done him a favour. If it had been a group of Dad's, all drinking, he could have found himself knocked out.

Birdsgottafly · 04/07/2018 11:40

jumblefun2 , not in law. It wouldn't have stood. The OP was justified in her actions.

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 04/07/2018 11:41

Birdsgottafly

Now you are picking apart a poster's words....
Ironic, no?

SevenStones · 04/07/2018 11:43

One day when I was at work sitting outside having my lunch, a drone was buzzing about. It came down really low about two metres away, from me, over a low wall with a drop at the other side, hovered a bit then went back up and buzzed off. It was a horrible experience. I felt violated. I fully sympathise with anyone who has drones flying over their garden, even high up.

OP - you were not unreasonble to track the person down and start filming them, a taste of their own medicine. Perhaps calling them a paedophile and pervert was an overrection. I very much doubt they called the police. They would have to explain why they were flying a drone over your property. I'd give them a ring myself, show them the footage, they may well recognise the person in question!

Shumpalumpa · 04/07/2018 11:44

jumble

Accost means to go up to and speak "boldly or aggressively" to

OP says he was on the other side of the river so she didn't go up to him did she, boldly or otherwise.

Some people really hate women defending themselves robustly. Why do you want women to be meek?

CaptainKirkssparetupee · 04/07/2018 11:45

I love mumsnet.

rinabean · 04/07/2018 11:45

YANBU whatsoever. Anyone who said you were is literally not worth listening to. There was no legitimate reason for him to fly a drone over your garden and if the law doesn't support that the law needs changing.

slashlover · 04/07/2018 11:46

I filmed him and he became angry because I was filming him and started shouting at me! This happened last night not 90 minutes ago!

If you started filming me while calling me a pervert and a paedophile then I would have been angry too.

Did you at any point ASK him why he was flying a drone so close to your house?