Thousands of websites have sprung up offering 'upskirt' shots and advice from enthusiasts on how to get the best pictures. The term even has its own Wikipedia entry. Nightclubs are a popular choice of venue, but web forums suggest shopping centre escalators, public transport and even schools as places to target unsuspecting females.
"I've been upskirting chicks, mostly at clubs, for almost two years. The club I go to is a great spot, real crowded, strobe lights going, loud music, so no one notices me sitting near the edge of the dance floor and if a woman in a skirt ends up by me I stick the cam under and snap," said one man posting on an internet forum.
While most of the websites feature amateur photographs, the paparazzi also now see the 'upskirt' shot as legitimate.
In a recent interview, Watson recalled a night out to celebrate her 18th birthday. "The sickest part was when one photographer lay down on the floor to get a shot up my skirt. The night it was legal for them to do it, they did it. I woke up the next day and felt completely violated by it all. That's not something I want in my life. I just kept thinking that if it had happened a day earlier people would have sued their ***** off," she said.
Several Australian states have laws specifically banning 'upskirting' but the UK does not. However, perpetrators could be convicted of voyeurism under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 or of outraging public decency.
Last year, commuter Guy Knight, 34, was fined for secretly taking pictures up women's skirts as he travelled to work by train. He was reported by suspicious passengers and police found more than 200 images on his phone and computer. Ten of the women were traced and none were aware that the pictures had been taken.
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