Adelaide Hills parents on notice after Mount Barker school student followed, filmed by man

Schools in the Adelaide Hills are warning parents about a scary incident involving an unidentified male at Mount Barker on Wednesday.

Adelaide Hills schools are warning parents to be aware after a male was seen following home and filming a school student at Mount Barker.

A notice sent to school parents in the Adelaide Hills region said the male was confronted by a passer-by during the incident on Wednesday.

“At about 3.10pm on 2 April, 2025 at Mount Barker, a male was observed to follow a student walking home on Flaxley Road near Carr Street,” the notice said.

“This man was confronted by a passer-by after having been seen to film/take photos of the student. SAPOL have been notified.”

The male was white with facial hair and blonde or brown hair, wearing a blue jumper, grey shorts, white socks and brown shoes.

A SAPOL spokesman said the identity of the male, in his late teens, was not known to police at this time. He said officers from the Hills Fleurieu service area were investigating.

Cornerstone College principal Tom Brennen, who informed school parents of the incident in an email on Friday morning, told The Advertiser the student did not attend the Mount Barker school.

He said he understood that principals of multiple schools in the Adelaide Hills region were informed by the Department of Education of the incident.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said police were informed after a student attending an Adelaide Hills school reported they were being followed by a man who they did not know while on their way home from school on Wednesday.

“The school has been in contact with the student’s caregivers and has made other families aware of the report today,” she said.

“In addition to reporting matters to police, the department and other education sectors share information about reports of this type with other schools in the local area.”

Anyone who saw suspicious activity or has any information may contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au.