Man, 27, arrested over 'creepy viral videos following scantily clad women on nights out'

A 27-year-old antheral has been arrested connected suspicion of stalking and harassment successful transportation with respective reports of women being followed, filmed, and harassed successful Manchester

A 27-year-old antheral has been arrested connected suspicion of harassment and voyeurism pursuing a study concerning a bid of viral "nightlife" videos pursuing scantily clad women connected nights out.

Officers conducted a warrant successful Bradford, Manchester, this greeting aft allegations were made that women successful susceptible positions were being filmed without their knowledge. The videos were past being posted down paywalls online - with subscribers paying £13 per period to presumption them.

The clips would often zoom successful connected women's chests and bottoms arsenic they walked, seemingly unaware they were being filmed. The accusation collected online by the Manchester Evening News was passed to Greater Manchester Police, who traced a fishy and conducted this morning's arrest.

It is understood to beryllium the archetypal apprehension successful the state linked with viral videos connected societal media platforms appearing to person filmed women connected nights out, the MEN reported. The videos, which person racked up millions of views, person besides been taken successful London, Liverpool, and Leeds.

In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: "This greeting (Wednesday 27 November 2024), we've arrested a 27-year-old antheral successful Bradford connected suspicion of stalking and harassment, successful transportation with respective reports of women being followed, filmed, and harassed successful Manchester City Centre. This apprehension is thought to beryllium the archetypal successful the state linked with respective viral videos connected societal media platforms appearing to person filmed women connected nights out, immoderate whilst successful susceptible positions.

"As good arsenic the wide viewed videos posted publicly, done further investigation, we recovered much contented locked nether paywalled accounts which included footage of suspected non-consensual nudity and upskirting. After the contented was archetypal brought to our attention, we made respective appeals for anyone straight impacted by these videos to travel forward. Many women did so, explaining the fearfulness this had created for them, and the interaction connected their feeling of being harmless whilst retired astatine night.

"Over the past fewer months, our neighbourhood squad person worked successful adjacent consultation with the CPS to recognize what adjacent steps we could instrumentality with the reports received. The videos successful Manchester were chiefly filmed astir the Peter Street and Deansgate areas."

Chief Inspector Stephen Wiggins said: "We took the concerns of the nationalist truly earnestly connected this issue, and person worked hard with partners to measure the afloat circumstances and what courses of enactment were disposable to us. It is simply a precise caller and analyzable issue, but this is simply a important development.

"Everyone has the close to consciousness harmless arsenic they bask a nighttime out, and these videos person made people, peculiarly women, not consciousness similar that, which we can't tolerate. Filming successful nationalist is legal, nevertheless wherever this filming crosses the enactment into offences specified arsenic upskirting, stalking oregon harassment, it's important that we don’t let that behaviour.

"Every Friday and Saturday determination are astir 60 officers connected patrol astir our metropolis centre hotspots, besides with enactment from partners, charities, and volunteers. Collectively, we are each connected the look retired for immoderate behaviour that appears predatory successful nature, proactively challenging that behaviour and safeguarding anyone who is vulnerable.

"Particularly arsenic we participate 1 of our busiest periods successful the year, Christmas and New Year, I privation to reassure the nationalist that Manchester City Centre's nighttime beingness is safe, and they tin expect america to instrumentality enactment against anyone who threatens that. We would proceed to promote anyone who has personally been impacted by the contented wrong these videos to travel guardant to us, truthful we tin grounds these reports and assistance with our ongoing investigations. This tin beryllium done via our online reporting instrumentality oregon by calling 101."