Great-grandad, 76, reported to police as a suspected paedophile because he was innocently filming fairground rides
OAP horrified at accusations he was filming children with Go-Pro on a pole attached to his mobility scooter
A GREAT-grandfather was reported to police as a suspected paedophile when he filmed funfair rides using a Go-Pro camera attached to his mobility scooter.
Mike Beard, 76, visited the Bank Holiday Big Weekend event in Worcester on filmed a number of attractions for his Facebook page on local sights.
He was stunned when officers arrived to investigate claims he had been secretly filming children at Pitchcroft Racecourse.
After showing officers the innocent footage of the fairground rides they confirmed no offence has been committed.
But despite being cleared of any wrongdoing Mike says his life has been shattered by the accusations and is fearful of repercussions at the hands of vigilantes.
Mike said: "I went to the funfair and they had a mini-zorbing activity going on, so I started filming it.
"But a fairground worker came up to me and told me someone had objected to me filming their children.
"The worker was quite pleasant and I said fair enough and stopped filming.
"I was more interested in the zorbing, it was never my intention to offend anyone, but I agreed to stop.
"I left and went round the corner, where I saw a police van. An officer got up so I went up to him and told him I needed to speak to him.
"But then he said 'No I need to speak to you' and said to me 'You've been reported for making films in a public place but this is not an offence'.
"I was incoherent, I couldn't even say my name. I'm a 76-year-old law abiding man, I have never been in trouble with the police before.
"The policeman was very pleasant but it was a shock to think that someone called the police.
"I do know the law and I was entitled to film in a public place. I wasn't looking at kids, I was looking at the rides.
"I went home and broke down. It upset me so much and I couldn't stop shaking."
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Mike says the false accusations left him so shook up, he later called police and asked them to come over to review everything on his computer.
He added: "I told the officer I wasn't a paedophile and I volunteered to show him the footage because the whole experience was worrying me.
"He told me I wasn't committing an offence and he said there was nothing to worry about.
"These people have made these allegations anonymously and then they have walked away but they have shattered my life."
Widowed Mike took up his hobby after his wife died and uses his camera to make short films about his home city which he posts on his Facebook page Worcester City Scenes UK.
He said: "I visit the market stalls and talk to the traders, and look at the history of the city.
"I'm not doing anything sinister, it's just something I like to do and it keeps me occupied.
"I initially set up the Go Pro for my own safety - like a dash cam for my mobility scooter.
"Because I am an elderly man on a scooter making videos they are narrow-minded enough to think I'm doing something untoward.
"What I want to do is make it quite clear that I don't do anything like that - it was entirely innocent.
"If I was doing something I shouldn't I would surely be more covert - I certainly wouldn't have a tripod three foot in the air.
"I have a bright blue mobility scooter, I wear a hat which says Worcester City Scenes, I deliberately want people to see what I'm doing.
"It's my hobby but I no longer feel safe on the streets due to the accusation and any repercussions."
