AIBU to be suspicious?

[dderrick]

We took our 1 year old to a marine lake, and there's a small paddling pool next to it. We took her socks off & she was paddling in the water. There were 2 small boys running around naked. As I was holding my daughter I noticed an old guy, in his 70s arrive alone & sat down. His head must have been on a swivel, as he was following the boys movement intently. My wife was about to get our daughter undressed, but I picked her up & turned away. I whispered about the guy to her.
At that point he got up & as he walked away, he stopped as if to talk to another couple, but they just blanked him.
My wife says he was probably just a harmless old chap, and they don't always think what they're doing.
I suspect he was watching children deliberately. AIBU to suspect this given his behaviour? I was going to go over & ask "Are you here with anyone?", Would that be the best way to handle it? It's all a bit new to us.

YABU you have right to go and question someone on public property who was doing nothing.

To be honest, I had been in a situation where for weeks I had been ignoring an innocent-looking chap watching my kids play football (and general sports/fun) at the local park and then one day, by chance I realised he had a camera under his coat and was taking photos.He legged it when he saw that I had seen.

It was incredibly disturbing. There are photos of my kids, photoshopped onto all sorts of awful stuff on the internet probably. It is shit.

I now am very suspicious all the damn time. It takes an force of will not to be.

no right*

so many typos sorry

So if he was with someone it would make a difference? And if he says no he isn't with anyone, what exactly will you do, tell him he's not allowed out alone?
Could be harmless, could be something sinister, but really there's nothing you can do. Well you could report him but really what is there to report?

just get on with your day and stop worrying about other people sitting in parks doing nothing

I sit on my own often in parks and sometimes I will watch kids playing, dogs chasing after a toy or couples walking by.

I'd be suspicious too- move away dont go near the creep
and well done for keeping your baby safe and dressed.
you're not being rude but I wouldnt go up to him just incase he's a violent weirdo

I saw what I thought was a creepy guy in the swimming pool just staring with nobody around him.

He looked so suspicious until two children came up to him and shouted - hi Grandpa, we're back! So glad I didn't say anything.

Poor man was having five minutes to himself I expect. I do agree though that it can be difficult to know.

I'd be wary. We live on quite a main road, loads of school kids walk by. When I was on mat leave (bored) I noted this guy used to
Park opposite my house every morning and after school, just sat there then drove off half hour or so later - one got in or out of his car. I thought it strange. It stopped for a bit then noticed it again when on second mat leave. A friend of ours is high ranking police officer and I asked him if it was worth letting the local station know - he said definitely, they can check him out, if it's nothing then no harm done. NExt time I saw him I just wrote down a few dates and times and then reported it to the local station. They went out and had a word, never seen him since

YABU. It’s a public place; he has every right to be there and you have no right to question him.

It's a public place. People of all ages are allowed in public spaces.

If you felt uneasy then you should leave. My grandfather, after he was widowed, used to love sitting in the park watching the world go by. I'm sure a lot of other elderly people do.

Mind your own business.

So upto what age can we go out alone? I could look like I'm watching people, but without my glasses, I can't see. That applies to children playing.

We've just been through lock down and he might have just been desperate for signs of life. The couple he tried to speak to didn't have to have much of a conversation, but they could have acknowledged him. Community centres, libraries etc are still closed and it could have been a simple case of loneliness.

If you know the paddling pool is there then take swimming stuff, your DD should have at least wore a swim nappy, for hygiene reasons.

You wouldn't have been right in approaching him, he did nothing wrong and it wasn't your business who he was with or why he was there.
Innocent or not, you'll never know. I'm a big believer in trusting your gut. But someone making you uncomfortable is not reason enough to approach them and start questioning them.
All you can do is protect your own child from any potential risk, I wouldn't personally let any of my children be naked in public as you just never know.

Why two threads?

@Doccomplaint

Why two threads?

Sorry about 2 threads, I posted 1 and it said "Access denied" so I tried again.

The thread was about AIBU, the consensus is I was. As a new dad, I'm still trying to get it right, feeling overprotective maybe something to redress.
For all the useful advice, thank you. For those just looking for an argument, to quote Monty Python "you want room 12A, Just along the corridor."