Terrorism Act Affects Photographers

Jack Lloyd, Redeye subscriber and landscape and fine art photographer, describes arriving last Sunday (23rd Jan 05) to meet his grandmother off the Isle of Man Ferry; as he was early he began to take photographs of decaying tracks, fences and walls at the old port and train station for an exhibition he is planning. He was warned by a security guard that one area was "restricted", so moved to a different area, a train platform, from where he was subsequently removed by three men he believes were police officers.

He writes: "three fluorescent-coat wearing individuals approached me and physically frog-marched me back through the lounge having already relieved me of my coffee cup and equipment, and led me through to an internal interogation room, where I was told that under the terrorism act I had no right to silence and no right to a solicitor and that if I didn't co-operate then they had the right to detain me for a minimum of nine hours. They then took all my details (name, address, tel number, occupation, partners details and address, car details, mobile phone ID numbers, marital status, previous address, etc...) then they went through my camara and looked at the photos, then they took my car keys and searched my car.

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