Couple slapped with $1078 fine after female passenger 'upskirted'
An Australian motorist is fuming after he was slapped with an "unfair" $1078 fine when his partner's arm was detected above her seatbelt. But for Gold Coast resident Richard Arnold that's not the only thing that's got his blood boiling.
He says cameras that detected the December 19 offence have breached his partner's privacy by capturing an "indecent" shot of her underwear in the process.
"Upskirting, I believe, is illegal and certainly it's disrespectful," he told Nine News.
Mr Arnold's partner, Anh Nyugen, was resting her feet on the dashboard when the photo was taken.
However Queensland Police Chief Superintendent Craig Hanlon told the network the images in question were not seen by anyone and offences captured on camera are sent directly to the registered owner of the vehicle.
A Department of Transport and Main Roads spokesperson told the Gold Coast Bulletin photos are “securely encrypted and stored” and are processed without human input. If no offence is detected, the images are deleted.
In a separate photo sent by authorities, the offence of not wearing a seatbelt correctly is clearly depicted, however Mr Arnold says that's not the full picture.
"She's leaned up to adjust her sun visor and put her arm through the shoulder strap to do that," he said. "I think that's disproportionate and unfair , unjust actually."
Mr Arnold, who was also hit with four demerit points, plans to dispute the fine, claiming Ms Nyugen's arm was only above the seatbelt for two to three seconds.
The cameras were introduced in Queensland in 2021 and in December the Queensland Government said there were more than 50,000 drivers or front-seat passengers detected not wearing their seatbelts correctly in the first 12 months.
"Failing to wear a seatbelt or wear it correctly could easily end in tragedy – that's the reality," Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said.
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