WHEN Chris Hermon spent his Sunday afternoon taking pictures of scenery in Beckenham’s Kelsey Park, he didn’t expect to be accused of photographing children.

Moments after he had snapped a waterfall and at a distance a young family feeding the ducks, Mr Hermon says he was accosted by a man demanding to see all the photos on his camera.

The 44-year-old said: “I was flabbergasted and asked who he was and with what authority he was asking me.

“He stated that he had plenty of authority and that if I did not oblige then he would call the police.

“He said there had been a number of nonces and paedophiles around here. I said excuse me, count me out of that.

“I’ve not been involved in anything like that. I’ve not been taking pictures of children. He said ‘I don’t believe you, show me’.

“I had nothing to hide so I showed him all of the photos I had taken.

“He still was angry and didn’t believe me.”

News Shopper: Chris Hermon

Mr Hermon, who was chairman of the Friends of Kelsey Park for five years and a committee member for 12 years, added: “It was horrific. The gentleman eventually apologised to me but it didn’t make up for the public humiliation and embarrassment I had to endure that afternoon.

“In my view parents have every right to challenge anyone who is acting suspiciously but certainly not to wrongly and loudly verbally abuse genuine park users who may be taking photographs of the beautiful scenes and wildlife.”

Mr Hermon, who works in court administration, says the incident raises questions over the issue of what people can take pictures of.

He said: “It’s a lesson to be learnt by all over what one does. Police told me you’re at liberty to take photos wherever you are but be conscious of people’s privacy.

“What do we suggest in this age we live in now? I got out with my camera all the time, but I’m not zooming in on kids. Where do we go with it?”

A spokesman for Bromley Council said: “Legally, if you are in a public space and this includes parks, anyone can take photos and with the numbers of camera phones in existence, many people routinely take pictures of lots of different things.

"This can sometimes be a sensitive issue for a variety of reasons and isolated misunderstandings can happen.

"We would expect everyone to act in a sensible and appropriate way, showing sensitivity to all concerned."