Explicit content was uploaded behind a paywall
A man has been arrested over his ‘Manchester nightlife’ clips that showed videos of intoxicated women in Manchester City centre.
The 27-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of harassment and voyeurism after conducting a warrant in Bradford on Wednesday morning (27 November).
The arrest followed a Manchester Evening News investigation into the videos in which women were filmed without their knowledge, often in vulnerable situations.
The investigation uncovered a trend of vloggers posting increasing explicit videos of women in public behind paywalls.
Subscribers paid £13 per month to view videos that zoom in women’s chest and bottoms without their knowledge or consent.
The arrest is understood to be the first of its kind in which women on nights out were filmed and later posted to social media.
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 police custody.
