Arrest made over creepy UK nightlife videos of women filmed without consent

A 27-year-old man from Bradford has been arrested on suspicion of stalking, harassment and voyeurism following a series of creepy videos of young women being filmed without consent during their nights out.

The clips were predominantly filmed in Manchester and Liverpool before being shared on social media. An investigation from the Manchester Evening News discovered that vloggers were sharing explicit content behind paywalls on Patreon. The account was later removed, with the platform stating they had "zero tolerance for works featuring non-consensual intimate imagery".

On Wednesday (27 November), officers conducted a warrant in Bradford.

In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: "This morning (Wednesday 27 November 2024), we’ve arrested a 27-year-old man in Bradford on suspicion of stalking and harassment, in connection with several reports of women being followed, filmed, and harassed in Manchester City Centre.

"As well as the widely viewed videos posted publicly, through further investigation, we found more content locked under paywalled accounts which included footage of suspected non-consensual nudity and upskirting.

"After the issue was first brought to our attention, we made several appeals for anyone directly impacted by these videos to come forward. Many women did so, explaining the fear this had created for them, and the impact on their feeling of being safe whilst out at night.

"Over the past few months, our neighbourhood team have worked in close consultation with the CPS to understand what next steps we could take with the reports received."

Chief Inspector Stephen Wiggins said: "We took the concerns of the public really seriously on this issue, and have worked hard with partners to assess the full circumstances and what courses of action were available to us. It is a very new and complex issue, but this is a significant development.

"Filming in public is legal, however where this filming crosses the line into offences such as upskirting, stalking or harassment, it’s important that we don’t allow that behaviour.

"Particularly as we enter one of our busiest periods in the year, Christmas and New Year, I want to reassure the public that Manchester City Centre’s night life is safe, and they can expect us to take action against anyone who threatens that.

"We would continue to encourage anyone who has personally been impacted by the content within these videos to come forward to us, so we can record these reports and assist with our ongoing investigations. This can be done via our online reporting tool (link) or by calling 101."

The suspect remains in custody.

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