MR JUSTICE NICKLIN Approved Judgment
MBR Acres Ltd -v- Curtin
I am aware that the drones are flown by the protestors a few times a week as I can either hear them, or a member of staff will notify all other staff members about it on the internal radios. If a drone is up, I will try not to go outside. I feel like we are constantly under surveillance, and it is quite a suffocating environment to be in. It feels like an invasion of privacy. On four or five occasions (but I cannot recall when) I have been outside at the Wyton Site when a drone was being flown, and have been scared of it and being identified by it that I turned and faced a wall until it was gone. I will never get used to the sound of a drone for the rest of my life. If I hear one in my personal life, I am worried it is the protestors’ and that they have found me. This happened recently when a neighbour flew a drone over my garden. I panicked and went and hid indoors.” Employee B stated: “The use of drones by the protestors over the Wyton Site has affected my day-to-day activities when at work. It feels like I am being watched 24/7. I wear a cap, balaclava, mask and sunglasses now when working outside at the Wyton Site, because I do not want the drones to video my face and for the protestors to then know my identity. Even though the protestors might know what my name is (for which, see below), they currently do not know what I look like. I do not want to be harassed by protestors who recognise my face. I go outside to empty the bins and I have to wear a disguise just to protect myself. When drones are being flown, we have to adopt a different procedure on how we move around the site, and how we move the animals around the site. We minimise staff working outside to avoid exposing them to the drones, and transport the animals in van instead of in an open air trolley. These different procedures add time to our tasks and means we cannot perform our tasks efficiently. When I hear the drones, it makes me feel uneasy. The drones do fly very low on occasion. One has come within 10 feet of my head before. It does not feel very safe when a remotely controlled drone is flying that close to me.” Employee G stated: “In addition to the harassment as we arrive and leave the Wyton Site, the staff also have to deal with invasive filming by overhead drones. These are now a daily occurrence. I understand from my colleagues that most staff can hear the drones as they buzz overhead, but I have hearing difficulties and will only be aware they are there if I see them. I therefore look up before I leave the buildings to check for drones and make sure that I am covered up with my hat, snood and glasses. The drones often fly really low, sometimes little higher than the single storey buildings on the Wyton Site . When there is a drone overhead and I am outside, I don’t look up. Whilst I am covered up, I really don’t want to be recognised for the reasons I detail
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