2 days ago
Tourist walks free from court after social media pile-on claiming he was ‘paedo' for filming kids in Scots park
The sheriff believed Janpreet Singh "meant no harm" when he was caught filming kids in a Paisley park
KID FILM RAP Tourist walks free from court after social media pile-on claiming he was 'paedo' for filming kids in Scots park
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A TOURIST caught filming children in a Scots park has been let off after a sheriff condemned social media users for sharing his picture more than 20,000 times and suggesting he 'may have been a paedophile'.
Janpreet Singh was confronted by an angry dad in Barshaw Park, Paisley, after he caught him videoing children playing on March 30 this year.
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Singh, from India, said he was visiting his sister in Scotland and was keen to show family back home footage of his travels
Credit: Les Gallagher
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Singh, 27, when then filmed by furious parents at the park and pled guilty but told Paisley Sheriff Court he meant 'no harm' in recording the single video
Credit: Facebook
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The incident unfolded in Barshaw Park in Paisley last month and resulted in Singh being arrested
Credit: Alan MacGregor Ewing
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Sheriff Gill told Singh she did not understand why he had pled guilty at Paisley Sheriff Court
Credit: Alamy
Singh, 27, when then filmed by furious parents at the park and pled guilty but told Paisley Sheriff Court he meant 'no harm' in recording the single video.
Singh, from India, said he was visiting his sister in Scotland and was keen to show family back home footage of his travels.
Cops arrested Singh and found the video on his mobile plus two others of swans and park scenes.
His lawyer Mark Johnson told the court: 'He's here on holiday.
'There was a certain level of naivety involved.
'He did not see the harm in it.'
A video of Singh in the park was then shared to social media thousands of times, a move that was questioned by Sheriff Sukhwinder Gill.
She told Singh: 'You went to Barnshaw Park on a sunny afternoon.
'You recorded videos intending to send them to family in India. I do not believe there was anymore to it than that.
'I do wonder why you pled guilty to this charge.
'I also question why your image was uploaded onto social media which in itself seem to cause huge concern in the local community, that there was an Asian man in the park who may have been paedophile.
Tourist caught filming small child in Scots park tells court he meant 'no harm'
'I was going to admonish you but I'm going to take the unusual step and give you an absolute discharge.
'I'm not going to proceed with your conviction. That is the end of the matter.'
We told previously how Police Scotland issues a warning amid reports of men filming kids in Scots playparks.
The force said it was "aware" of mounting concerns being shared on social media regarding filming in playparks.
Police Scotland says it takes these reports "seriously" and will continue to investigate any other matters reported.
