Paedophile admits flying drone over primary school but insists he 'had no control over it' when it was following a child
A convicted paedophile has pleaded guilty to flying a drone over a primary school which reportedly caused one child to run away in tears.
Jeremy Bird, 47, was accused of using the lightweight aircraft to 'watch' the young children in Salisbury, Wiltshire.
A court heard that on one occasion, Bird caused one pupil to 'run and cry' as he used the device to follow them.
Bird accepted a charge of recklessly or negligently causing or permitting an aircraft to endanger a person or property at Salisbury Magistrates Court.
But, he said that he 'didn't have any control over it' and is only pleading guilty because he did not have the 'appropriate qualification' to fly the aircraft.
Elizabeth Valera told magistrates that the charge relates to the use of a drone over a primary school in Salisbury.
She said: 'The Crown say he's flying them over primary school children to watch the children.
'He accepts he's flying them [but said in interviews] that he didn't have control over it.
'There's one video where a child is actually followed, and they're running and crying while he follows them with a drone.'
Valera told the panel that he had previously tried to engage primary school children in conversations outside of the school.
Paul Jones, defending, said: 'The charge is recklessly flying that drone - that does not relate to the question of taking images of children.
'He accepts recklessly flying the equipment because he does not have the appropriate qualification to do so.'
At a hearing in Winchester Crown Court, Hampshire, Bird also pleaded guilty to two charges of making indecent photographs.
These included Category A images, which are the most serious kind.
Prosecutor Kellie Enever reminded the judge that Bird 'does have previous relevant convictions, albeit back in 2011'.
Bird will be sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on July 18.
He was granted bail until then on the condition that he does not have any unsupervised contact with any children under the age of 18 and that he does not enter any school grounds.
Bird was handed a community order in 2011 after he was caught with indecent images.
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