Imitating pictures of breastfeeding women without their consent can lead to two years in prison

Perverts who photograph breastfeeding women without permission can face up to two years in prison for the moves the ministers are considering.

Minister of Justice Dominic Raab is considering extending the law, which came into force in 2019, to combat “upwards”.

The Voyeurism Act forbids taking photos under someone’s clothing without their consent, but it doesn’t specifically cover women who have to remove clothing to feed a baby.

Now Mr Raab can extend the law following a campaign led by Labor MP Stella Creasy, who said she was photographed while feeding her daughter on a train in the north. London.

A source at the Justice Department said: “This is being studied, but it is still at an early stage.”

Miss Creasy said earlier this year that she was breastfeeding her then-four-month-old baby on a train near Highbury and Islington in north London when she spotted a teenager laughing and taking pictures.

“He had the phone out and I thought he was playing with the phone, but then I found out with horror that he was taking photos,” she said.

‘You feel exposed. I don’t think you could get much of a picture, but the sheer horror at the point where you’re focused on trying to support your newborn baby … and someone is doing it, was vile.

‘Because I felt quite vulnerable, I got off the train as soon as possible.’

The MP was also contacted by 32-year-old Julia Cooper, who saw a man photographing her with a long-lens camera while breastfeeding with other moms at the Sale Water Park in Greater Manchester.

The Voyeurism Act forbids taking photos under someone’s clothing without their consent, but it doesn’t specifically cover women who have to remove clothing to feed a baby. The basic image above is used [File photo]

“He attached a telephoto lens to the SLR camera and tried to zoom in on photos of my breasts,” she said earlier this year.

‘I was shaking, I felt so hurt.’

She said she asked the man to delete the pictures, but he refused, saying he had not broken any laws.

Miss Cooper told police about the incident, but they confirmed it was not illegal.

“I don’t want that to happen to me, other women, or my daughter if she decides to have children,” she said.

Miss Creasy collaborated with Miss Cooper MP Jeff Smith in a campaign under the slogan ‘Stop Breastfeeding Pests’.

“Unfortunately, there are some very creepy people who think they have the right to photograph women while breastfeeding for their own pleasure, and that’s not acceptable,” Ms. Creasy said.