Photographing thugs 'is assault', police tell householder snapping proof of anti-social behaviour

A householder who took photographs of hooded teenagers as evidence of their anti-social behaviour says he was told he was breaking the law after they called the police.

David Green, 64, and his neighbours had been plagued by the youths from a nearby comprehensive school for months, and was advised by their headmaster to identify them so action could be taken.

But when Mr Green left his £1million London flat to take photographs of the gang, who were aged around 17, he said one threatened to kill him while another called the police on his mobile.

And he claimed that a Police Community Support Officer sent to the scene promptly issued a warning that taking pictures of youths without permission was illegal, and could lead to a charge of assault.

The Mail stretches the point here. It wasn't 'the police' who warned Mr Green, it was some spotty, twat of a 'community officer' who made the claim, which, of course, is complete bollocks in any case. If it were true, there would be hundreds of thousands of offences being committed by camera-mad councils, police forces and retailers every day.