Yahoo News Upskirting: Appeal to find man who targeted schoolgirl in middle of street
The victim was walking along Princes Street, Eastwood, at about 3.55pm on 19 July when a man began following her, Nottinghamshire Police said.
Police have issued an image of a man they wish to speak to after a schoolgirl was upskirted in the middle of the street in Nottinghamshire.
The victim was walking along Princes Street, Eastwood, at about 3.55pm on 19 July when a man began following her, Nottinghamshire Police said.
After following her on to Albert Street and Wellington Street, the man managed to get in front of the girl and took a photo up her skirt with his phone.
The man then walked away from the scene quickly along an alleyway to the rear of Wellington Street.
The victim notified police of the incident and officers are now investigating.
Police Constable Gerard Masaoy, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We're working hard to identify the man responsible for this distressing incident as soon as possible. We believe the man pictured could hold important information about exactly what happened.
“While incidents of this nature are rare, I want to assure members of the public we take reports of this kind very seriously. This sort of behaviour is unacceptable and won't be tolerated.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, quoting incident number 473 of 19 July 2023, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
2019: Upskirting becomes a specific criminal offence
Despite numerous incidents of upskirting, the act was not a specific criminal offence in England and Wales until 2019.
Until that point the law had not adapted to advances in technology and anyone who fell victim could explore possible convictions for the likes of voyeurism, public disorder or indecency.
But campaigners said this was inadequate because criteria for a conviction down these channels – such as the incident being witnessed by other people – was not always available.
The law came into force following a high-profile campaign led by writer Gina Martin, who spent 18 months fighting to make upskirting a specific offence after two men took a picture up her skirt at a festival in 2017.
Anyone convicted of upskirting faces up to two years in prison.
Is the new upskirting law working?
Figures released on the same day that upskirting became a specific criminal offence in 2019 found that the number of incidents jumped from 78 in between April 2015 and April 2017, to 94 for the whole of 2018.
The increase in cases could in part be put down to the exposure from Martin’s 18-month campaign.
The Voyeurism Act allows upskirting to be treated as a sexual offence and ensure that the most serious offenders are placed on the sex offenders’ register.
It captures instances where the purpose is to obtain sexual gratification or cause humiliation, distress or alarm.
Read more:
Girls aged three among victims of upskirting (Sky News)
I made upskirting illegal. This is why I don’t want to change any more laws (The Guardian)
Upskirting: A quick guide to the new law (PA Media)
While there are now serious consequences to upskirting, recent figures show that there have been 1,150 upskirting crimes recorded since the law came into place in 2019.
Victims have been as young as three, according to figures obtained by Sky News from 43 police forces in England and Wales.
However, while the figures appear high, the government pointed to the fact that 60% of those convicted received either a suspended sentence or immediate custody.
Yahoo News UK has contacted Martin and the charity Safeline for comment.
