French Photographer Faces Suspended Jail Sentence for Flying Drone Over Disneyland Paris

(Source: DailyMail)  

A French photographer will learn his fate later this month after he allegedly flew a remote control drone over Disneyland Paris and snapped aerial images of the amusement park.

Prosecutors are seeking a six-month suspended jail sentence for the 52-year-old photographer, who is accused of illegally flying a small drone over the park and deliberately injuring a security guard with his car.
The man denies the claims, saying he was flying the drone at a park near Disneyland and did not intend to photograph the attraction east of Paris.

The drone was spotted by two Disney security guards on April 5, 2014.

One of the guards was ‘struck at low speed’ by the photographer’s vehicle as he tried to stop the man from leaving the area, court was told.

The photographer, who has specialised in aerial photography for nearly 25 years, has pleaded not guilty, telling court he was only trying to familiarise himself with flying a model drone.

The man, whose photos have been published in tourist books, told a judge yesterday: ‘I was testing to see if it was worth investing in a real drone for professional projects.’

Photos taken by the drone’s camera have been shown at the hearing in Meaux, a commune north-east of Paris.

Court was told the man was flying a leisure model that weighs less than 25kg and is not permitted to fly above 500ft and more than 328ft from the pilot, AFP reported.

A judge is scheduled to deliver a verdict on May 29.

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