‘I will sneak up on it and smash it’: A warning to peeping Tom drone operators

After nearly getting caught out in the nude by a drone, a South Burnett resident took to social media to warn the owner if it happened again, it might not make the return trip.

A South Burnett man got the fright of his life this week when he was about to step into his shower and spotted a drone hovering outside his bathroom window.

A South Burnett man got the fright of his life this week when he was about to step into his shower and spotted a drone hovering outside his bathroom window.

In a post on the South Burnett Community Facebook page, multiple people claimed they had seen drones peeping into their homes, making them feel unsafe and frustrated with the authorities.

On Thursday morning, February 13, one local man said he was getting ready to take a shower when he saw a drone outside the window.

“I was just about to have a shower when I spotted it outside the window looking in,” he said.

“So everyone be watchful.”

A South Burnett man got the fright of his life this week when he was about to step into his shower and spotted a drone hovering outside his bathroom window.

Another commenter said they had also seen a drone looking into their home, peering into their bedroom window.

Other people reported they were aware of similar incidents happening near Haly Street, James Street, West Street and River Road in Kingaroy.

The original poster said whoever was behind these drones needed to be stopped and he was willing to take things into his owns hands.

“A warning to whoever owns it – if I see it again I will sneak up on it and smash it,” he said.

However, several commenters cautioned that damaging a drone could result in serious legal action under civil aviation regulations.

According to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority website, interfering with a drone could result in a two year jail sentence, as drones fall under the same rules as other aircraft.

Further, under the Queensland Criminal Code Act 1899, damaging another person’s property is a criminal offence and if found guilty, the penalty is also up to two years imprisonment.

But there are also a host of rules pertaining to the operation of drones.

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According to the CASA website, recreational drone operators cannot fly within 30m of people and must not fly in a populous area, which includes residential areas.

A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said the police had not received any recent reports related to the misuse of drones in Kingaroy and encouraged anyone with any information to report the matter to CASA.

“Matters involving their misuse will be dealt with by the QPS on a case-by-case basis,” she said.

According to the CASA website, recreational drone operators cannot fly within 30m of people, can only fly during daylight hours, cannot fly beyond the operator’s line of sight, and must not fly in a populous area, which includes residential areas.

Breaking these rules can result in fines of up to $1650 per offence and if the case ends up in court, the operator could be convicted of a crime and fined up to $16,500.

Even though there are penalties for misusing drones, commenters said they did not feel confident police or the authorities would act upon their reports.

One commenter who saw a drone looking into her window said she reported this to police but it was “pointless”.

“Spoke directly to the cops,” she said.

“They said they couldn’t do anything.”

A South Burnett man got the fright of his life this week when he was about to step into his shower and spotted a drone hovering outside his bathroom window.

Another person said she was really unhappy with CASA’s response after reporting an incident of a light plane flying so low “it almost flew into the roof of (her) house”.

“They asked me to ring the Kingaroy airport, which I did to report it but without a detailed description eg. colours on plane, 2 or 4 engine etc, they said there was nothing they could do,” she said.

“Could be anyone that took a light plane out that day.”

Commenters said they were afraid of their children being watched and having their privacy invaded, and felt like the authorities were not taking their concerns seriously enough.

“The question then is who will do this when the authorities themselves say they can’t/won’t,” one commenter said.

“Something has to give, and it shouldn’t be people’s right to feel safe.”