Doncaster Council – the true murderers of innocence?

Father told to stop taking pictures of his own son
A father was told to stop taking pictures of his four-year-old son on a ride in a shopping centre because he might be a paedophile.

Kevin Geraghty-Shewan, 48, was threatened with arrest by police officers and told the images may have to be deleted, despite protesting that he had every right to photograph his own son.

Mr Geraghty-Shewan, from Gillingham in Kent, said he was approached by a security guard at Bridges Shopping Centre while the boy, Ben, played on a children’s train ride.

The guard told him to stop taking pictures on his camera phone. “I asked why, and he told me it was because for all he knew I could be a paedophile,” the father said.

“I told him Ben was my own son. But he said I couldn’t prove it. I couldn’t believe it. I walked away and then I thought about making a complaint.”

Mr Geraghty-Shewan then took a photograph of the security guard, after which the police became involved.

“They took my details and said they had the right to remove the picture from my phone,” he said.

“I got annoyed and things got heated, then he threatened me with arrest for breach of the peace. Ben thought I was in trouble because he had sat on the ride and we didn’t put the money in.”

A spokesperson for The Bridges apologised for the incident but said that its staff were instructed to “monitor” photography at the shopping centre.

“Unfortunately on this occasion what should have been a simple polite conversation led to a misunderstanding and we apologise for any offence caused,” it said in a statement.

“It is always our aim to implement our security procedures with the minimum of fuss and disruption to our shoppers.”

For some it’s the uniform, gives them the power to behave like a complete jerk and get away with it.

2 or 3 years ago now, I can’t remember exactly, but I was walking through a local shopping centre with my son, one of his freinds and his freinds girlfreind. My son and his freind being the clowns they are, decided to race to a childs coin ride and play fight each other over who was going to get on it, neither of them got on it, or had any intention of getting on it, they were merely clowing. We were though, approached by jobsworth, who said it was for children and they shouldnt ride it, they tried to explain they were merely clowning and had no intention to ride it, not to be outdone his moment of authority, jobsworth said if they continued being rude he would have them removed from the centre!!! They weren’t being rude, just trying to explain, in the end my son said let’s just leave it and tried to walk away, as he did so jobsworth was saying something and then accused my son of being rude. In the end security were called, we were accused of being racist, and were asked to leave the centre!!

Just seems to me that you put a uniform on some pple and they become god almighty :roll:

I did. I took it all back a few minutes after I posted because I realised I was behaving like an idiot.

The comments (above) about ‘jobsworths in uniform’ set me wondering. I’ve noticed over the years that parents often seem to have a tendency to pass off their offspring’s yobbish behaviour with the same old tired excuses.

Maybe …. just maybe, the jobsworth in uniform’ is guilty of imposing a standard of good or acceptable behaviour in a public place that the parents seem to be unwilling or incapable of doing themselves.

Oh now who’s making assumptions!!! :shock:

There are some people who once dressed in a uniform take on a completely new persona and firmly believe that theyre better than anyone else!!

Had my son been behaving in an un-acceptable manner, I wouldnt have needed someone else to tell him, i’d have done that myself, he was 18 at that time, but I was still quite capable and not afraid to tell him if he was wrong! Surprise surprise, I am a responsible parent!! The person in the uniform did over react and cause an un-necessary scene, even after having been told by the boys that they’d no intention of getting on the ride! but were merely clowning around and not doing anyone else any harm!

I didnt bother lodging any official complaint, its never worth it because nothing is ever achieved. Maybe i should suggest to the company who patrol the place that they should put signs at the entrances tho, signs perhaps saying that anyone smiling, laughing or acting in a generally clowning type of way will be removed!!!! as it is an offence!