I reported my paedophile neighbour to police… but then I was ARRESTED – it’s madness
A grandfather who complained to police that his pedophile ‘neighbor from hell’ allegedly used a secret camera to ‘spy’ on his 12-year-old grandson is furious after he was arrested.
Stunned Martin Prior was locked in a cell for over five hours before being questioned on suspicion of intimidating the local resident by calling him a ‘bloody paedo’.
Six officers in three vehicles arrived at his home in Herefordshire after the concerned householder spoke out to his local newspaper and later MailOnline.
He was outraged that officers decided that placing what he considers a threatening device on a roadway near his home was not a crime.
Instead, body builder Martin, 65, has been arrested by West Mercia Police on two charges of intimidation and theft of two paving stones.
Martin Prior, 65, with the CCTV camera he discovered pointed at his property. Prior fears the camera is being used by a convicted pedophile to film his grandson
The camera was pointed at Mr Prior’s property. It remains in effect on land not owned by the sex offender and which does not cover his property
He has since been released on bail until March 21 pending further investigations.
A family source said: ‘It seems mad, complete madness that Martin himself has been arrested for complaining about a convicted sex offender who he feared was filming his grandson and his friends playing in the treehouse in the garden.
‘His complaint went the other way and he is now at the center of a criminal case.
“It was a terrifying experience for him and his family.”
Neither Martin nor the media publicly mentioned the neighbor who was released last fall after serving a nine-month prison sentence for possessing indecent photos of children on his work laptop.
The grandfather first filed a complaint with the police when he saw a spy camera on December 22.
Police initially investigated his claim but shelved it, telling him: ‘No crime has been reported to us and therefore it is not a police matter.’
Before his shock arrest, he had spoken of his “anger and disbelief” that police refused to take action and insisted the device was legal.
He did not confront the 51-year-old resident himself, who he described as a “neighbor from hell” who is “very intimidating and aggressive” and feared by other local residents.
Martin has been feuding with the man and his family over border issues for more than thirty years.
Reliving his arrest, the family source said: ‘Last Thursday around 3pm, a marked police van and two marked cars, along with at least six officers, stopped on the road in front of the house, in full view of several neighbours.
‘Martin has been arrested for alleged theft of two paving stones, which he denies. One was damaged and worthless, the other was worth perhaps £4 and was believed to belong to the sex offender.
‘He was also arrested for intimidating the man by calling him a ‘bloody paedo’ and for intimidating him by his article in the Hereford Times, which did not reveal his name, address or likeness.
‘He was taken to Hereford Police Station where he went through the full custody process and was then locked up in a cell for over five hours before being given a three to four hour interrogation and eventually released on bail at around 10.30pm.’
‘He has never been arrested, cautioned or even given an informal warning by the police before in his life.
‘It was a terrible experience and completely bizarre. When he saw police activity outside, he assumed they were there to arrest his neighbor.
“But he has promised not to lie still.”
Mr and Mrs Priors’ grandson often visited his friends, but they have ‘had to severely limit these visits to protect these children from the possibility of being filmed’
Martin’s shocked wife Jo, 64, said: ‘I am disillusioned with the police and it scares me to still live here.
‘I am absolutely devastated by my husband’s arrest and I continue to have panic attacks.’
She added: ‘It was a very visual police activity and totally inappropriate and what could be considered a waste of resources and abuse of power.’
Martin had claimed that the spy camera was attached to a third party fence on what he claims is a mixed private and public road, pointing to a tree house regularly used by his grandson and his friends.
He said: ‘I discovered a secret camera on a gate post on the land between our two properties pointing in the direction of mine and the tree house where my grandson and his young friends play in the tree house when they visit.
‘I reported it to the police because I was afraid it had been put there by one of our neighbors, a convicted pedophile. They came out to investigate,
Martin continued: ‘Unbelievably, when the police spoke informally to his neighbor, they advised him to put up a camera because he claimed I had moved his paving stones on a shared verge.
‘The neighbor did not deny posting it, but said he was filming due to a past dispute over boundaries between our two families.’
Martin, who did not want a direct confrontation with the man himself, said: ‘He is very intimidating and aggressive. Some people here are too scared to walk their dog because they’re afraid it’ll come out and jump on them.”
He was also concerned that other hidden cameras may have been trained on his home near Hereford.
Police told him that after speaking to the suspected owner of the camera, they were unable to take action.
Martin said at the time: ‘It’s infuriating and unbelievable. The police are no longer interested in this case and do nothing. It’s unacceptable.’
A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: ‘We are aware of a concern regarding the installation of a CCTV camera.
‘However, no report has been made to us and it is therefore not a police matter.’
The force spokesperson added: ‘We can neither confirm nor deny the location or identity of a registered sex offender in the community.’
The camera remains in place on land not owned by the sex offender and does not cover his property.
Martin said he and his wife now no longer let their grandson play in the yard when he visits for “fear of the possibility that he could be filmed.”
He added: ‘It’s a terrible situation to be in.’
Police advised the householder to report any concerns to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which is responsible for enforcing the UK’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and provides advice and assistance to individuals.
Online advice from that body states: ‘The use of recording devices, such as CCTV or smart doorbells, to capture video or audio recordings away from the user’s property does not breach data protection law.
‘People should try to point their CCTV cameras away from their neighbours’ homes, shared spaces or public streets. But this is not always possible.
‘If people are making images and audio recordings outside their borders, they should consider how invasive this activity is.
‘If someone records your child using CCTV, we recommend that you speak to the person recording.
‘If you believe the person is filming your child inappropriately or to harm them, you should contact police.’
Correspondence between Martin and police shows that the Safer Neighborhood Team has refused to investigate the camera, despite concerns about ‘gross invasion of privacy’.
In an email, an officer said: ‘I am not aware of the advice on which he may have decided to install CCTV cameras.
‘Issues relating to the use of CCTV should be monitored and addressed by the Information Commissioner’s Office.’
He has now filed a complaint with the force’s professional standards department.
MailOnline has attempted to contact the ‘suspicious’ resident for possible comment.