By James Simons-
South Yorkshire Police are facing an embarassing trial for filming a couple having sex instead of looking for criminals.
The four men on trial – Matthew Lucas, 42, Lee Walls, 47, Matthew Loosemore, 45, and Malcolm Reeves, 64 – all deny the same offence.
The pair waved at the aircraft at one point during the clip as they engaged in a series of sex acts and sexual positions on a suburban house.
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The eight minute long film depicts a naked woman waving at the aircraft, and a man wearing only a Manchester United football shirt
The helicopter crew for South Yorkshire Police‘are accused of using the aircraft to film people sunbathing naked and taking shots of naturists on a campsite. T6he allegations are serious and capable of bringing police force into disrepute.
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DETAIL
Prosecutors have detailed the activities of the South Yorkshire Police’s helicopter crew at Sheffield Crown Court as the trial began of two police officers and two pilots kicked off on Tuesday.
“They used the unique viewing position afforded to them, together with the powerful video camera with which the helicopter is equipped, to video members of the public engaged in private activities in a gross violation of their privacy
“On three separate occasions they filmed a total of five people sunbathing naked in private and, on another occasion, they filmed a couple having sexual intr.ercourse in their own garden.”
Playing the footage, Mr Wright said: “As you will see in a moment, the couple who were filmed on this occasion were very much aware that they were being observed, indeed they seem to relish it.”
FRIENDS
The couple featured having sex were friends of Adrian Pognore, 50, a police office officer and air observer on the helicopter and air observer on the helicopter who has already pleaded guilty to offences of misconduct in a public office.
Mr Wright told the jury: “The reason that this couple are so happy to be recorded engaging in sexual intercourse is that they are friends of Mr Pogmore and shared his sexual interest in the swinging scene.
“It was clearly, therefore, no coincidence that the helicopter orbits around their garden while they brazenly put on a show.”
The prosecutor said: “You may hope that the police helicopter is chasing down criminals and keeping the community safe.
“You may never imagine that in fact it is being used to film a pair of swingers in the throes of sexual passion for the entertainment of the crew.”
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