Criminology In The News | CyberStalking and Secret Footage

Social media posts of women on nights out who are filmed without their consent might be threatening the well-being of young women in Manchester, according to the BBC. The videos, which have been shared on social media sites feature young women on nights out being filmed without their consent.

One of those featured in the videos has suggested that it has made her feel unsafe to go out, as she was unaware that she was being filmed. Others that have been recorded have also claimed that they were unaware that they were being filmed whilst out in different towns in the North-West of England.

The recording of individuals without their consent is a grey area in law, but the distress caused to those in the videos could lead to the distributor of the videos being prosecuted. Social media sites have been urged to act against misogynistic comments made by people watching the videos, which could in itself, lead to individual prosecutions.

Find out more by looking at the article below from the BBC (19/0402024) and answer the questions below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-...

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS!

1. How would you categorise the crime committed according to the different categories in AC 1.1 of Unit 1?
2. Why might this type of crime go unreported?
3. Should the case go to the CPS? Outline how both media coverage and the content itself would satisfy the criteria of the full code test.
4. What other crimes might result from the filming of women in public places according to the article?
5. What types of evidence might be used against the suspect in this case? What weighting might be given to the different forms of evidence collected?
6. Criminologists often examine the impacts of the media on criminal activities. Suggest one reason why this story is being broadcast by media outlets.