Parents outraged at illicit photos

A PRETORIA couple has been left shaken after they spotted a man, believed to be of Middle Eastern origin, taking photographs of their son on St Mike’s beach last weekend.

The couple, aged 28 and 25, said they were at the baby pool with their one-year-old son and his cousins, aged two and three, when the man was spotted snapping photographs of the children, using a smartphone.

Uncomfortable about the situation, the father confronted the man and grabbed his phone, which he handed to his wife.

His wife went into the photo gallery of the phone and found about five photographs of her son, plus many more, mostly of small boys, photographed either at a beach or in a public place.

While she was deleting as many photographs as she could, two other men suddenly appeared, speaking in a language she could not understand.

She felt intimidated and handed back the phone.

The father said that the men stood a short distance away, staring at them.

“They only left when the police arrived. One was almost trying to taunt me into a confrontation. I believe he could have been carrying a weapon,” he said.

Meanwhile, some family members pointed the men out to the police who responded and questioned two of them.

The father explained that the third man who had been taking the photographs, fled.

“The men were casually dressed and in their early 30s. The man taking the photographs was so relaxed in his manner that one might not have picked up on it,” he said.

The couple was angry and shocked, especially as it had happened while they were enjoying a relaxing time with their family.

“If they can do this, how quickly can they snatch a child? What do these men do with the photographs?” he said.

Police spokesman, Captain Gerald Mfeka, confirmed no case had been opened yet.

He urged people who experienced anything similar to report it to the police immediately. “Parents are urged to be extra careful when taking their children to the beach,” he added.

Jacqui Thomas, a founding director of the Pink Ladies organisation for missing children, said this incident was a problem associated with the digital age.

“It is easier for people to take photos for nefarious purposes and get away with it,” she said.

She said a lot of these photographs are posted on websites, sold on the internet, or used to target younger children.

Ms Thomas said that children who are photographed are often targeted according to certain characteristics, such as eye or hair colour.

In terms of the law, she said it depended largely on where the photograph ended up, and that ‘each incident would have to be considered on merit’.

She suggested that parents follow their gut instincts and if they feel something is wrong, to take it further.

Christmas is the busiest time of the year for the Pink Ladies, with the organisation being flooded with cases of missing children.

“A great tip for parents is to write, with a permanent marker, a contact number on the child’s body or item of clothing, if they are going to a public place or to the beach,” she said.