A paedophile who flew a drone over a primary school to watch young children – reducing one child to tears – has escaped jail.
Jeremy Bird, 48, used the lightweight aircraft to follow children in playing fields, at one point making a pupil 'run and cry'.
On another occasion, teachers from a second school in Salisbury, Wiltshire, reported seeing a man recording children on his phone and trying to chat with them during an outing, a court heard.
When he was arrested, a search of Bird's devices uncovered a 'considerable number of indecent images of unknown children'. These included Category A images, which are the most serious kind.
Bird, who lives in the cathedral city, pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of children and recklessly allowing an aircraft to endanger people or property. He told police that he admitted flying the drone but claimed that he 'didn't have control over it'.
Bird was given a 19-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, at Winchester Crown Court on Tuesday. He was also made the subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Debbie Quayle, Complex Crime Investigator for Wiltshire Police, said: 'I'd like to thank the schools for reporting Jeremy Bird's behaviour – without their support we would be unaware of the extent of his offending.
'Mr Bird has taken no accountability for his actions and the fear he put into the children when flying his drone near to them to film them.
'He has now been sentenced and has been made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which places limits on his internet use and travel.
'He is also not allowed to own or use a drone and must also allow officers into his address to do checks.
'I hope this investigation also shows that we will not tolerate any person who uses drones in an inappropriate manner, and they will be put before the courts.'
Wiltshire Police said that in September 2023, officers received a report that a drone had been flown over a primary school within the Salisbury area on several occasions, following the children within the playing fields.
At around the same time, the force received a further report from another school within the Salisbury area reporting that when teachers were taking the children out to visit a harvest festival, a man was seen recording the children and trying to chat with them.
The man was seen a short time later in a vehicle appearing to be taking more pictures of the children. Enquiries by police identified the suspect as Bird.
At a previous hearing when Bird pleaded guilty, Salisbury magistrates were told that he caused one pupil to 'run and cry' as he used the drone to follow children.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Valera said: 'There's one video where a child is actually followed, and they're running and crying while he follows them with a drone.'
Paul Jones, defending, said: 'The charge is recklessly flying that drone - that does not relate to the question of taking images of children.
'He accepts recklessly flying the equipment because he does not have the appropriate qualification to do so.'
It was also heard that Bird had 'previous relevant convictions' dating back to 2011, when he was handed a community order after he was caught with indecent images.
