Degrading, vulnerable and angry is how individuals feel when a stranger takes multiple photos of them. No matter what age or gender. People should be able to go onto the beach feeling safe, not thinking a stranger will be taking photos of them. 

Photos taken on the beach in swimwear should be illegal if taken without consent and the victim is unaware. If photos are evidently of an individual person, not a casual beach photo. This should be illegal.

Minors and women are being photographed by people without consent! This should be added to the same law as voyeurism and upskirting. 

My personal story:

Unfortunately this afternoon on Porthminster Beach, St Ives. My boyfriend and I had a feeling a man was taking photos of me. We left the beach to see if the man was around to ask if this was the case. When looking for the man, I saw him walking on the small path by the mini golf and cafe. I politely stopped him and asked to see the contents of his camera. The man seemed confused whilst holding his camera out. I again asked to see the camera as I believe he had photos of me on the camera - photos of course not taken with my permission. The man hid his camera, getting out his phone, telling me he did not have one. He walked on. I followed the man calmly, suggesting he show me the contents of his camera before I phone the police in which he did. The camera had 560 photos as indicated on the digital camera screen. 

He flicked through 4 and told me that was it. I saw there were another 556. I said no, I want to see them all. After this the man ran away from me, I grabbed his bag to bring him to a stop and grabbed the camera from his hands. Flicking through the next 3-4 photos which were of me. Zoomed in. In my bikini. Multiple angles. In total, there were around 8-10 photos of me alone on this camera. He saw my face drop after obviously seeing the photos of myself and grabbed my shoulders and back, in order to try and retrieve the camera. So I ran away to the nearest cafe. Members of the public helped me, photographing the man, supporting me in reporting the matter and taking me to the lifeguard to report to the police. 

Whilst in the lifeguard hut, I saw on the camera there were photos of young woman getting changed out of clothes into swimwear, sunbathing in bikinis/swimwear and children walking around the beach. I was outraged by what I saw. The police came and took a statement and the camera. Myself and my boyfriend waited to see the outcome from a distance, as after confronting the man, I did not want to be near him. The police unfortunately were unable to do anything about the matter as he was taking photos in a public place. The photos on his camera which I saw were of individual members of the public. When looking through the camera, I saw around 30 photos. I quite frankly dread to think what was on the remaining photos. 

The man was around 178cm tall, wearing long black trousers, a black cap and long sleeve black and white stripe T-shirt. White male wearing glasses, around mid 60s in age. He admitted what he did was wrong, whilst waiting for the police, referring to himself as ‘wrong’ and ‘disgusting’.

The police can do nothing about this due to it being a ‘grey area’ in taking photos of people in public places. Unfortunately this includes minors. As far as I am concerned, this is an act of voyeurism. I do not know where is camera is, if he has his belongings back and where these photos will end up. 

How this is not a crime is beyond me. Children and women yet again at the disposal of absolute creeps. I am writing this to bring to people’s attention and to raise awareness this IS happening on beaches where we think we feel safe and protected. But consequently, nothing can be done about it by the police. His motives were clear, but yet he still wanders the streets of Cornwall.

This was what we were told to be the second case of the same nature, the other using Google Glasses to photograph/film young children. This man apparently got away before lifeguards could get him.