CASA falls short with drone spy

A SYDNEY couple is calling for a ban of the sale of drones to the general public after being spied on through the balcony door of their fifth-floor apartment.

Dee Why resident Anita Grahame had just walked out of the shower with a towel around her waist and was looking for clothes in the dining room when her husband, Nick Kriticos, spotted the device hovering.

It flew off after Mr Kriticos showed it a rude gesture.

“You should be able to sit in your home stark naked without someone looking,” Ms Grahame said.

“It is a worry that people are using these things to look at houses, possibly to see if people’s houses are worth breaking into ... I don’t see why the average individual needs a drone.”

Drones are not permitted to fly within 30m of residential buildings, boats, cars or people. Fines of up to $9000 apply.

Police were called, but the couple said there was very little that officers could do. Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson said the organisation would investigate, but it was difficult when the operator of the drone was not known.

Ms Grahame said: “Unfortunately, these things have a 6km radius.”

Mr Kriticos said they had been rocked by the invasion.

“Now we feel like we have to sit in our home with our blinds shut,” he said. “It is wrong – you shouldn’t have to do things like that in your own home.”