Photo Buff Or Pedophile: British tourist arrested for taking photos of kids on beach

It's very sad that in a world full of terrorists and perverts something as enjoyable as photography is now seen in a totally different light. At one time, we photography professionals and avid shutter-bugs could take our camera gear and shoot pretty much anything that struck our fancy. Taking candid shots of people is something that many of us enjoy. One doesn't normally need the permission of someone in a public arena to take their photograph, it's done all the time, and I have often snapped shots of interesting looking people without asking for permission. I especially enjoy taking candid shots of children, but these days, with so many pedophiles and perverts walking around, you have to be careful when and where you snap those photos, as one British tourist discovered in the Algarve, in the southern part of Portugal.

algarve 79sUM 16105

A 48-year-old male was arrested for taking photographs of kids on a beach, after some parents called the police regarding his 'suspicious' activities.

Commander Marques Ferreira said: 'A 48-year-old Englishman was seen photographing children on the beach at Marinotel in Vilamoura and was arrested by the Maritime Police.

'We were able to verify the existence of many photographs of children aged between eight and 15.'

Well, yes, if he was taking photos of children there would be photos of them on his camera, but were they pornographic in nature? I have pictures of children on my camera's memory card as well, does that make me suspect too?

Unfortunately for him, the location where he was arrested happens to be a mere 50 miles from where the young British girl Madeleine McCann disappeared, so there are wild speculations that he might be a new lead into her disappearance. But would he be stupid enough, if he was indeed a pedophile, to be taking photos in public with so many witnesses around?

A police source said witnesses claimed 'the man pointed his camera several times at children who were playing in the sand by the water'.

A Portuguese holidaymaker told newspaper Diario de Noticias: 'When the police arrived on the beach, they were able to see the man still taking photos.'

Although he was released on bail, he is now considered a formal suspect. But of what? Taking pictures of children? Killing Madeleine McCann? Being a pedophile simply because he was taking photos of kids? Now perhaps he is indeed a pedophile, and perhaps he did kill Madeleine McCann, but those are wild allegations based on conjecture alone. If he is, then I hope they toss him in jail and throw away the key, but what if he's just a hapless photographer who happens to enjoy taking shots of kids as much as he does sunsets at the beach, like I do. Arresting someone for taking photos is pretty darn scary. I suppose the best thing to do is ask permission, but that's a little strange when you want to take candid shots of people. Then again, that's preferable to being arrested.

In a way, I hope he is a pedophile so that he deserves what he gets, otherwise the humiliation of having been arrested for taking photos at the beach would be too hard to stomach. Thanks to the perverts and terrorists of the world, nothing will ever be the same.