Thread: Judge rules man had right to shoot down drone over his house

I'm feeling patriotic today. Sometimes we get it right.


William Merideth shot down a drone legally, a judge decides.
WDRB/TV screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET
It was a case that gripped the nation. Or at least Kentucky.

Should it have temporarily escaped your pressured memory, William Merideth in July said he saw a drone flying above his property in Hillview, Kentucky.

He believed it was spying on his 16-year-old daughter who was sunbathing in the garden. So he took out his shotgun and blasted the drone out of the sky. He was arrested for wanton endangerment and criminal mischief.

Now a Kentucky court has declared Merideth an innocent man. Bullitt County District Court Judge Rebecca Ward on Monday dismissed all charges against Merideth, reported local TV station WDRB-TV.

The drone's owner, David Boggs, had produced flight data that insisted his machine had been flying higher than Merideth had claimed.

The judge, however, seems not a fan of big data. She's a woman of the people. She declared that two human witnesses saw the drone below the tree line. This evidence was, to her, conclusive. To her, this was an invasion of Merideth's privacy.

Amateur drones hovering willy-nilly have disturbed more than just private citizens. Airline pilots' reports of drone close-calls on takeoff and landing have increased exponentially over the past year.

This summer, amateur drones flew over California wildfires, purely to capture dramatic pictures. This grounded helicopters which were desperately trying to drop water on the flames. There's still a $75,000 reward for anyone who leads authorities to those responsible.

The FAA's recommendations include not flying above 400 feet. "Don't be careless or reckless with your unmanned aircraft -- you could be fined for endangering people or other aircraft," the agency adds.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/judge-r...181317840.html

^

Very nice result.

Just as Ron Swanson would do.

Originally Posted by BobR

Bullitt County District Court

Aptly named.

The FAA's recommendations include not flying above 400 feet. "Don't be careless or reckless with your unmanned aircraft -- you could be fined for endangering people or other aircraft," the agency adds.

I lost control of my drone at about 100 feet the other day.

It buggered off somewhere over the moo baan and I never saw it again.

Great result , however like mobile phones turned on in vehicles , hands free or otherwise should never have been allowed to get off the ground in the first place.

How sad are these people ?

FFS there is enough intrusion into all our lives these days via cookies etc

I would shoot the bloody thing down as well, why do people want such crap and spy on others?? get a life.

Good call, Judge!

Originally Posted by BobR

So he took out his shotgun and blasted the drone out of the sky.

The drone's owner, David Boggs, had produced flight data that insisted his machine had been flying higher than Merideth had claimed.

Not really my area - but what is the effective range of a shotgun?

Lets assume normal pellet type load.

Originally Posted by nidhogg

what is the effective range of a shotgun

Here ya go.

The effective range of a typical shotgun is about 45 m.

Range of a Shotgun Pellet

Originally Posted by AntRobertson

The FAA's recommendations include not flying above 400 feet. "Don't be careless or reckless with your unmanned aircraft -- you could be fined for endangering people or other aircraft," the agency adds.

I lost control of my drone at about 100 feet the other day.

It buggered off somewhere over the moo baan and I never saw it again.

You need to pay more than 1000B.

It was B1,400!

Actually technically 2,800 since I had to buy another one.

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

Originally Posted by nidhogg

what is the effective range of a shotgun

Here ya go.

The effective range of a typical shotgun is about 45 m.

Range of a Shotgun Pellet

So, about 150 feet - the drone must have been at that height or lower.

A fellow I work with just bought one here in Oz paid the equivalent of 20,800 THB

So he took out his shotgun and blasted the drone out of the sky.

The drone's owner, David Boggs, had produced flight data that insisted his machine had been flying higher than Merideth had claimed.

If you could down it with a shot gun it wasn't flying that high.

It is now open season on drones. Forget road signs or melons. The good ole boys will be out in droves.

Own up Ant, this bird clobbered your drone didn't she? You're a sex pest




DRONE PORN: Shock rise in sex pests filming horny Brit couples from the sky

By Patrick Knox / Published 29th October 2015



Official figures have seen the number of reports of nuisance flying – which includes suspected voyeurism – skyrocket over the past year.

One police force has logged 20 times more incidents than the year before.

Across the UK drones equipped with video cameras are perving on sunbathers, hovering outside windows and hanging above children's parks.

Worse still a Daily Star Online investigation has found illicit candid clips, including intimate moments between couples, are being shared on porn websites online millions of pervs.

Drones are set to be must-have Christmas presents this year. Many cost as little as £40 and have the ability to shoot clear and downloadable footage.

But sex experts are warning that in the wrong hands the flying gizmos are simply another way for peeping toms to gather candid clips for their sexual gratification.

One website we found celebrates "hunting for girls using the most advanced geek technology. It's a must have toy for all geeks in the world".

It adds: "We developed our usage for porn and it's going to be something you have never seen before! "Using drones to hunt for girls. Welcome to voyeurism 2.0 baby!"

John O’Neill, director of the Menninger sex-addiction clinic in Houston, told the Daily Star Online the problem will only get worse.

He said: "Someone with an interest in voyeurism may use a drone to find new material to satisfy their urges or needs.

"There have already been examples of people calling the police due to concerns about drones in their area public beaches.

"It makes sense that a person with a voyeuristic disorder would seek out new and exciting methods for obtaining sexual images such as drone technology.

"We live in a world where people have a wide variety of fetishes, and certainly technology allows people to explore them.

"Drones absolutely open up a new world of opportunity for voyeurs as well as stalkers to seek out new material to feed their interest."

Mr O'Neill said he believes "it is a reality that images obtained through drone technology will be viewed via the Internet".

He added: "There are thousands of websites dedicated to voyeurism and a strong market for new and exciting images or videos.

"If there is a market for sexual images, there are people willing to meet the demand."

Already drones have allowed legitimate filmmakers to shoot porn from never seen before angles.

One of these is Ghost+Cow Films who are credited with making the first adult movie called Drone Boners. Made using the mini-aircraft. which has won plaudits from mainstream critics for its camerawork.

But a spokesman for the company warns that illegal voyeurs are now in the sky preying on unsuspecting victims.

He said: "It's already a problem. If you can shoot something digitally and it exists as a digital file, it can be put all over the web."

In the past year there has been an explosion of reported suspicious activity involving what are essentially remote controlled flying cameras.

The Metropolitan Police (Met) has seen a huge rise in reports of nuisance drone flying, logging 21 cases in 2015, up from just one the previous year.

Sinister reports logged by call handlers include one person becoming alarmed at being spying on through their window.

Another was reported to police for repeatedly flying outside windows in a hotel area in the capital's West End.

Worryingly, some dialled 999 over a drone buzzing over a children's play area.

Currently it is illegal to fly the drone within 50m of a person or any crowd of people. If used by voyeurs it could be prosecuted under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, although this has yet to happen.

Greater Manchester Police alone has logged 58 incidents since early last year.

In one a drone sex pest was reported videoing someone in the city sunbathing on three occasions.

In neighbouring Liverpool drones were also repeatedly reported film over playgrounds.

Meanwhile down south naked sunbathers on the famous Studland nudist beach in Dorset are furious that a radio-controlled drone equipped with a camera is often seen flying up and down videoing.

Met Chief Inspector Nick Aldworth, one of Britain's most senior police officers, has personally taken charge of dealing with the problem.

"Is it conceivable we’ll have these things, particularly the ones with cameras, hovering outside people's bedrooms for whatever nefarious reason?" he told a House of Lords committee.

"I can definitely tell you this technology has been used around London and elsewhere in the UK."

Shock rise in sex pests filming horny Brit couples from the sky | Latest News | Breaking UK News & World News Headlines | Daily Star

Originally Posted by nidhogg

Originally Posted by BobR

So he took out his shotgun and blasted the drone out of the sky.

The drone's owner, David Boggs, had produced flight data that insisted his machine had been flying higher than Merideth had claimed.

Not really my area - but what is the effective range of a shotgun?

Lets assume normal pellet type load.

About 50 yards/meters with no 5 shot IMO.

I hope the residents of Land And House in Nongprue can go after those arseholes flying ultralights 15 feet above their houses now.

Originally Posted by BobR

The drone's owner, David Boggs, had produced flight data that insisted his machine had been flying higher than Merideth had claimed.

Simple rule should apply. If it is low enough over private property to be shot down with a shotgun, it is too low and should be shot down.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

DRONE PORN: Shock rise in sex pests filming horny Brit couples from the sky

By Patrick Knox / Published 29th October 2015

Wasn't this photo in the news a while back with the story of a woman turning a CCTV camera away from where she was sunbathing?

Originally Posted by misskit

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

DRONE PORN: Shock rise in sex pests filming horny Brit couples from the sky

By Patrick Knox / Published 29th October 2015

Wasn't this photo in the news a while back with the story of a woman turning a CCTV camera away from where she was sunbathing?

Wouldn't surprise me since it is the Daily Star.

But I still reckon Ant is making Drone Boners II