16.11.12

A man has been banned from campus after being caught covertly filming a female student in the Leeds
University Union (LUU) building.

At midday on Tuesday, the man was seen secretly filming the girl in Essentials. Realising his actions had been noticed, the man then left the building.

After being alerted to the covert photographer, University Security blacklisted the man, tracking his movements across campus on CCTV and circulating photographs of him to Security personnel and staff in LUU.

When he returned to the Union the next day, he was recognised and reported but refused to explain his reasons for being on campus, leading to the police being called.

Although he was not charged, the police accompanied the individual to the University Security office where he was issued with a banning letter and told if he was seen again on University property, he would be committing an act of trespass.

The individual was then escorted off the campus. Although members of the public are able to access the Union building and campus, they are the private property of the University and Union. The University would therefore be within it rights to seek a court order restraining the man from entering its premises.

This incident comes after the two recent cases of voyeurism in the Edge gym on campus. It is not illegal to photograph or film an adult in a public place, unless the Data Protection Act is breached by distributing the photographs or enabling an individual to be identified.

A spokesperson from the University commented: “It should be stressed that no images of a sexual nature were found on the individual’s camera, no arrest was made and no charges were brought.”

Words: Ellie Parkes