Yacht drone ‘spied on naked women as they sunbathed’
A GROUP of seven young women sunbathing naked on a boat off the coast of Majorca were allegedly spied on by a drone operated from a nearby luxury yacht, according to police on the Spanish island.
The women, all Majorcan, were relaxing on a boat anchored near the town of Porto Colom when they saw a drone hovering “right overhead” with its recording light on. They then noticed a yacht moored close by, on which some men were allegedly pointing at a screen and laughing.
It is the first case reported in Spain of a drone allegedly being used to film women, according to the Guardia Civil.
At the time of the alleged incident, five of the women were naked, while two were wearing bikinis, local media said. The group began signalling and shouting at the men to stop filming, but were ignored, according to the police complaint.
They began to record what was happening using their mobile phones and decided to return to shore, where, they alleged, crew members from the yacht approached them and offered them money to go out to dinner “at a good restaurant”, with the apparent aim of dissuading them from taking action. The proposal was declined.
Guardia Civil sources said the complaint had been passed to a judge, who would assess whether the actions constituted a crime against privacy. They are also investigating if the drone was licensed.
The man accused of operating the drone reportedly had it on board to film a regatta taking place in the area.
Experts have urged stronger regulation for the drone sector, which has grown sharply in Spain, with more than 2,000 operators registering in less than three years.
Their use is already restricted over urban areas, beaches and parks.