Arrest as 'girl stalked in city store'

A MAN is facing charges after being arrested for allegedly stalking a five-year-old girl in a crowded supermarket and filming her as she shopped with her father.

The pair had been out buying presents to celebrate the youngster's first day at school last Thursday in Asda at The Jewel when the father grew suspicious of a man he thought was following them around the aisles.

When he approached the man he claims he saw him using a camera on his mobile phone to video his daughter.

The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said; "It was her first day at school and so we went to get her a present to treat her.

"We went into Asda to pick up some flowers and some milk and there was a guy who was always standing just that bit too close to us and I began to notice him following us around the store. He was practically bumping into us, he was that close, and was right behind us the whole time we were there.

"I was thinking 'this is a bit suspicious', but you think you are being paranoid. Then, after a while my daughter started watching something on the big screens and I walked up beside him, shoulder to shoulder, to see what he was doing. I thought he could have been texting or something but he had his camera on and it was pointing at her."

Asda's security team was alerted and the man was detained and images on two mobile phones he was carrying were examined. It is alleged that other images of young girls had been saved and he had started filming the father and daugher outside the store.

It is understood police quickly arrived on the scene to take statements and retrieved evidence from the supermarket's CCTV cameras.

"I have seen the clips of us walking into Asda and at the time I had no idea it was even going on," said the father.

"To be honest I just couldn't believe how blas he was being about the whole thing. He seemed totally oblivious (when I approached him], he just continued filming."

The girl was wearing her school uniform out for the first time and her father said that he is now more wary of her being out in public. "It's made me feel differently about things," he said. "I am very protective of my daughter and now I feel I cannot let her out of my sight. I think other people are not paying enough attention to the dangers of this."

It is understood the man has been barred from Asda at The Jewel.

A police spokesman said: "A 36-year-old man has been arrested in connection with this incident and is due to appear in court at the beginning of September."