Nude Sunbather Sues Police For £200,000 After Officer Filmed Her From A Helicopter

A former glamour model who was filmed by a police helicopter camera while she was sunbathing, is suing the force for £200,000.

Tracy Dixon, 54, was lying topless in her garden when a helicopter flew above her property and captured images of her.

Adrian Pogmore, 52, was jailed for a year in 2017 after admitting to four counts of misconduct in public office, using South Yorkshire Police force's high-powered helicopter for "sexual spying" in 2007.

When Ms Dixon was told the identity of the officer, she was horrified to discover that they had gone to school together.

Two years on from his sentencing, Ms Dixon now claims the incident was an invasion of privacy and caused her distress, and is demanding hundreds of thousands in compensation.

PA

According to reports, Pogmore, who was described as a 'sex-obsessed swinger', flew over her home three times a week and would film her and her children who were aged 18, 15 and eight at the time.

The ex-model, however, claims officers regularly flew over her garden and filmed her family. She says she sunbathed naked in order to avoid tan lines and noticed the helicopter hovering above her home three to four times a week for around three years.

She also believes there is more footage of her somewhere, though she was only shown one tape by authorities.

Sentencing Pogmore at Sheffield Crown Court, Judge Peter Kelson QC said the disgraced officer thought he was 'above the law'.

He said: "You quite literally considered yourself above the law. You used a £2 million helicopter, which costs something like £1,000 an hour to run, to advance your sexual curiosities."

ITV/This Morning

During the case, two police pilots and two observers were cleared of aiding Pogmore in his crimes. However, PC Lee Walls still faces disciplinary proceedings.

The police force also admitted liability for the actions of Pogmore on August 23, 2007, but it has denied he filmed either Ms Dixon or her family on other occasions.

Following Pogmore's conviction, Ms Dixon said: "Home was where I felt safe. The only thing that disturbed us was the yellow and black police helicopter."

Ms Dixon says South Yorkshire Police failed to offer her a full personal apology. The force says it will offer her a full written apology but demand she provides a full list of every interview she has had with the media, along with details of financial benefits.

Topics: Police, UK News, Interesting, crime

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

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