Is this guy a peado or am I being paranoid?

[purpledaze24]

I take my 3 yo DS to our local play park around 3 mornings a week. Often when we’re there there’s this man there sitting on a bench with his dog, but never with a child, he’s always just with the dog. The play park isn’t enclosed from the wider park so he didn’t stand out that much at first but the last few times I’ve seen him he seems to be taking pictures with his phone of the kids playing. He’s pretty blatant about it, not trying to hide it. He also has an attachment on his phone, which looks like it’s over the camera lens. I’ve never got close enough to properly inspect it but it looks like a small black square over the lens and sticking up at the top of the phone. I’m wondering if this could be a zoom…he looks very normal (not that that means anything I know), early 30s, good-looking, well-dressed. I’ve never seen anyone challenge him - maybe because he’s so blatant about it & the park is often busy & people probably assume he has a child playing who he’s taking pictures of. He definitely doesn’t btw. I’ve seen him leave and arrive before and it’s always just him and the dog. I know that, technically he’s not breaking any laws. Anyone can takes pictures of anyone in a public place but he’s giving me the creeps. I cannot think of any possible reason why he’d so regularly be taking photos of random children other than that he’s a peadophile. There’s also nothing else he could be taking pics of, his dog is by his side. AIBU? What should I do? I don’t feel comfortable challenging him

There's a park with some swings and slides, near it are park benches. There is no 'section', there's the rest of the park with some benches. A man is sitting on the bench, with a dog and using his phone. We don't know what he's doing with his phone.

The rest is conjecture and I predict a feeding frenzy.

You do realise they're not trading photos of fully clothed kids in playgrounds on the dark web, dont you..?

Where does it say that there are some swings and slides?

Yes, they had the perfect opportunity in 2020 to get rid of park benches, in case people spread that pesky virus by sitting on them.

Man somewhere near children = paedophile, with 110% certainty, not even 77%.
Only on Mumsnet.
Only on Mumsnet.
Only on Mumsnet.

And good luck finding a police officer who wants to know, or a "park warden". Somebody has been watching About a Boy, in which a "park warden" says "are the one who was throwing bloody great loaves at the duck?".

Children's play areas tend to have items that children play on such as swings and slides. That's how come we know they're designated areas for children.

Naive

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35521068.amp

They use images from clothes models etc - so it’s not impossible. Some like to catalogue their images down to their physical characteristics.

So you dont know for a fact what play equipment was there, but are accusing me of conjecture?

I can no longer go back and forth with you tbh, hope that the op reports this man and he changes his weird behaviour.

I'm accusing you of conjecture because you said a man was in a play area for children filming them repeatedly. The OP says nothing of the sort.

You're now arguing about a children's play area having items for children to play on.

Yes, imagination can be a bit extreme. 🙄

The op says he is doing so blatantly

You've also argued with me as to what constitutes a childrens play area?

But are now stating that its obvious as to what constitutes a childrens play area???

the man is weird and needs to be reported, for the safety of the children

Yup - my first thought too.

It won't be a zoom because those are large, telescopic things.

And if it's a nano lense (which is very much what it sounds like) then he wouldn't be able to take photos of anything at much of a distance, unless he detached it first.

Very likely that he's been out taking nature pics in the park and is reviewing or editing them when sat on the bench.

Conveniently tied to a thread where he's called a paedophile...

Based on the OP's description of the attachment, I'm struggling to think what it could possibly be other than a nano lense (which functions like a microscope, and is used for extreme close ups), which would mean that he cannot be taking photos of children, while the attachment is on.

He's probably just sat on a bench, using his phone.

There really does not sound to be any good reason to report this man.

The OP says this:

he seems to be taking pictures with his phone of the kids playing.

There's a big difference between seems to be doing something and absolutely is doing something.

The OP has no idea of what he's doing and neither do you.

Seems to be doing so by holding his phone in a blatant manner

No-one has an exact idea of what he is doing except him, we are going on what he seems to be doing, which is taking photos in a blatant manner

Just like we have no idea of the contents of the childrens play area, you previously claimed was indistinguishable from the general park

Children's play areas contain items for children to play on such as swings and slides. I have a very good idea of what constitutes a child's play area.

He seems to be taking photos but no one knows what he's actually doing, therefore the rest is pure conjecture mixed with fiction eg he's in a child's play area repeatedly filming children which is what you suggested.

Omg i have nothing more to say 😭😭 - you were saying I couldn't confirm what constitutes a play area and now youre doing the same thing

My father used binoculars because he was blind in one eye and had difficulty seeing anything.

To others he may have looked off but he was using them to see day to day.

Why didn’t you just go over and ask him what he’s taking pictures of? If it’s nothing to worry about, he’d have probably shown you.

His weird behaviour of... sitting in the park with his dog whilst looking at his phone or weird behaviour of happening to be a man?

Are you a man?

Why, yogi? You want a pic-a-nic?

You are making some very dangerous assumptions based on zero factual information this could be innocent explanation and you would rather ruin someone life with serious allegations based on your assumptions and paranoia