‘Upskirting’ plans thwarted by explosion in man’s shoe

A MAN who bought a covert “shoe camera” for taking photographs and videos up women’s skirts had a nasty surprise when he tried out the device.

The camera’s battery apparently exploded during a trial run at home, injuring the man’s foot, according to police in the US state of Wisconsin.

Officers said the 32-year-old man handed himself in but will not be prosecuted as he did not capture any offending images.

The painful episode was revealed by Mike Koval, the chief of police in the state’s capital Madison, on his blog.

“He said he had purchased a shoe camera that he intended to use to take upskirt videos of females, but the camera battery exploded prior to obtaining any video,” he said. David Dexheimer, a fellow policeman, added: “When the explosion happened, he got treatment for minor burns, then disclosed what happened to his mentor, a clergyman.”

The man then presented himself at a police station to report a “sex offence”.

Police said they “counselled him” before releasing him, although their investigation continued, they added.

They did not specify whether the man had attached a miniature camera to his footwear or bought a commercially available pair of shoes with hidden spy cameras.

“Upskirting”, as it has become known, is illegal in many US states.

The practice was outlawed in Wisconsin in 2015. It carries a maximum sentence of three and half years in prison and a fine of $10,000 (£7,600).