Man quizzed over city centre voyeurism videos viewed by millions

A antheral is being quizzed aft unwitting, pistillate partygoers were filmed connected nights retired - with the voyeuristic videos racking up millions of views connected societal media.

Police judge it's the archetypal apprehension successful the UK "linked with respective viral videos connected societal media platforms appearing to person filmed women connected nights out, immoderate successful susceptible positions."

The videos connected TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, often titled Manchester nightlife oregon Liverpool nightlife, were uploaded daily. Videos person besides been taken successful London and Leeds.

The 27-year-old antheral was arrested - successful a cross-border greeting raid - by Greater Manchester Police officers successful Bradford, West Yorkshire, connected suspicion of stalking and harassment and is being questioned successful custody.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said galore women who had been impacted had travel guardant pursuing a nationalist appeal, aft being filmed connected Peter Street oregon Deansgate.

One of the women filmed said she was recorded walking on Deansgate successful Manchester. The 23-year-old, who cannot beryllium named, was unaware she had been filmed until sent a nexus to 1 of the videos.

"I person nary words truly different than it conscionable made maine consciousness a spot sick," she said.

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."

GMP said their archetypal probe into the videos has since uncovered content, accessible done a paywall, containing suspected upskirting and non-consensual nudity.

The unit 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."