‘Upskirting’ victim calls on Legislature to enact new law
A Houston County woman who was the victim of “upskirting” at her local grocery store is calling on the Legislature to make the lewd, invasive conduct a crime.
"I just want the law to change so others can't keep doing it and get off through a technicality," said the woman, who discovered a store clerk taking videos up her dress. " … This has to be a crime, because it is a crime."
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is withholding the 31-year-old woman’s name to protect her privacy and because she was the victim of a sexual offense. A medical profession who’s married with children, she said she was “shocked” and “disgusted” when a store clerk was captured on security footage taking videos up her dress with his cellphone.
The Court of Appeals recently reversed Brandon Lee Gary's conviction, saying the way Georgia's invasion-of-privacy law is written "upskirting" can't be prosecuted as a crime. The court's majority said it's up to the General Assembly to fix the problem.
To read more about the woman's thoughts and reactions to the incident, please go to myajc.com.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
