Grange ‘peeping Tom’ drone leaves women in Adelaide’s western suburbs on edge
A western suburbs mother is one of several victims who claim they’ve been filmed by an aerial menace looking through windows and invading backyards.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Frightened young women across the western suburbs say a “peeping Tom” drone is spying on them in their backyards and through their bedroom windows.
Multiple victims claim the drone has filmed them while they were sunbathing, while others say they have been targeted for several years.
Sarah Worrall-Reiman said the drone recently targeted her 10-year-old daughter while she was asleep in a backyard tent.
“It’s so intimidating to me as a parent,” Mrs Worrall-Reiman said.
“If you had a peeping Tom, you know what they are doing, you know who they are.
“With a drone, you don’t know who it is, where are they, what are their intentions, it just makes it that extra level of freaky.
“When your child is camping in a secure background, you never think you have to worry about your child being safe from a drone.
“It doesn’t exactly make me feel safe in my own home.”
Under civil aviation laws, drones must stay 30 metres from members of the public and can never fly above anyone at any time or height – including sporting events, busy beaches, roads and pedestrians on the footpath.
They must also stay 5.5km away from airports if their drone weighs more than 250 grams, with an extended exclusion in place for the approach and departure zones.
Offenders who break these laws can be fined up to $1,650 by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, but if convicted in court, they could be hit with a $16,500 fine and banned from flying.
A young woman, who did not wish to be named, said the drone captured her while she was sunbathing.
“It was flying over the backyard while I was tanning, stopped and just hovered over for 20 minutes,” she said.
“It was just really creepy and didn’t make me feel safe at all.
“You don’t expect that to happen in the privacy of your own backyard.”
Another woman told The Advertiser she caught the drone just outside her bedroom window while she was getting changed, after she spotted it scoping out the neighbourhood earlier in the day.
Police confirmed they were investigating the incident and encouraged anyone with drone complaints to contact the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
But a CASA spokesman told The Advertiser said it was a matter for police.
“The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is responsible for ensuring the safe operation of drones but not for issues of privacy, noise or criminal activity,” they said. “Anyone who fears for their safety or needs an immediate response to a drone-related incident should report it to their local police.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Grange ‘peeping Tom’ drone leaves women in Adelaide’s western suburbs on edge