A person who has wished to remain anonymous has been left feeling “violated” after a friend watched them during “intimate moments” with their partner without either of them knowing.
Posting on Reddit, the person said they are in a long-distance relationship with their partner, known as “N”, and explained their friend – named in the post as “B” – recently allowed them to use his flat as a meeting place because it’s roughly halfway between the poster and their partner.
They said: “I have known friend (B) for approximately six months. I have been casually dating N for a month or so.
“N and I are long distance and B agreed we could meet at their flat as it is halfway between N and I’s houses.
“B would be in the flat at the time but in a different room. He has previously offered his flat for me to meet friends with benefits as I have little privacy in my residence, but this was the first time I had accepted the offer.”
The poster then explained the spare room at their friend’s house had a computer system set up in one corner, which they initially didn’t pay any attention to.
But after they had sex with their partner, N realised the light on the webcam was on and went over to investigate – at which point the light went off.
The poster and their partner then confronted their friend, who admitted to watching them during their intimate moment.
They added: “B had a computer system of two monitors and a webcam in the room we were using. One screen was on, and one was off.
“After N and I had sex, he asked if I knew why the webcam was lit up. He approached it and the light went off. He said he had noticed it halfway through but didn’t want to ruin the moment.
“We questioned B and he admitted he had been watching us on his laptop via the webcam in the room. He denies any recording was made.”
The person made their post on the subreddit for Legal Advice UK, as they asked commenters whether any action could be taken against their friend.
They said: “Obviously it was a massive violation, but has he broken the law by watching us? I’m unsure as we were in his property. Thank you for any advice.”
And people in the comments were quick to tell the poster that their friend’s actions were illegal under Section 67 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
The section states that it is an offence for a person to observe, for the purposes of their own sexual gratification, another person doing a private act, where the person observing knows the person observed does not consent.
One person wrote: “Assuming you had no knowledge of it in advance it would be illegal. If he had said ‘there’s a camera in that room’ then he would be covered.”
While another said: “This is voyeurism and is covered under section 67. Yes, this is absolutely illegal!”
And a third posted: “I strongly suggest reporting this to the police. A crime has been committed and even by at least reporting it you can potentially get this individual dealt with, so they don’t do it to someone else.”