The Boston man arrested in 2010 for using a cell phone camera to take pictures and video up women’s skirts on the subway did not violate Massachusett’s Peeping Tom Law, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
The court found that, though a woman has a “reasonable expectation of privacy in not having a stranger take photographs up her skirt” the current law does not apply because, technically speaking, a woman in a skirt is fully clothed.
The law “does not apply to photographing…persons who are fully clothed and, in particular, does not reach the type of upskirting that the defendant is charged with attempting to accomplish on the MBTA,” the ruling said.
The district attorney’s office called on the Massachusetts legislature to move fast in updating the Peeping Tom Law to protect women in skirts.
[Reuters]
More Must-Reads From TIME
- Jane Fonda Champions Climate Action for Every Generation
- Biden’s Campaign Is In Trouble. Will the Turnaround Plan Work?
- Why We're Spending So Much Money Now
- The Financial Influencers Women Actually Want to Listen To
- Breaker Sunny Choi Is Heading to Paris
- Why TV Can’t Stop Making Silly Shows About Lady Journalists
- The Case for Wearing Shoes in the House
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com