A man repeatedly flew a drone over his sister’s house and left his niece ‘scared’, a court heard.
Allan Pollock, 44, targeted Hazel Burr who lived with her family in Robroyston, Glasgow.
Company manager Ms Burr, 51, saw the device hovering over her house as she relaxed in her hot tub.
Her 19-year-old daughter Katie Burr was also disturbed when she spotted the drone overhead as she sunbathed in the garden, Glasgow Sheriff’s Court heard on Friday.
Katie and her father, Iain Burr, then decided to investigate where it came from and caught Pollock in the act.
Allan Pollock, 44, targeted Hazel Burr who lived with her family in Robroyston, Glasgow
It appeared that Pollock was also strolling past the Burr house at different times of the day and night.
He has now been found guilty of engaging in conduct which caused fear and concern within the Burr family.
Prosecutors said Pollock, of Strathaven, Lanarkshire, repeatedly flew a drone over their property.
He repeatedly visited and loitered near the house and acted abusively towards his sister Hazel. The accusation spanned between November 2019 and October 2020.
Pollock will be sentenced next month at Glasgow Sheriff Court.
The trial first heard from engineering student Katie Burr, who said she first saw the drone in early summer 2020.
She told the court: “When I was sunbathing during lockdown, it was flying over my garden. It was hovering over the garden – you could see it moving a little.
“We would notice it and tell it to go away and it would fly away.”
“Sometimes it was during the day and I would point it out when I was in the garden hot tub.
“It also happened at eight or nine in the evening.”
Ms Burr then told how she and her father Iain, 59, followed the drone after spotting it. She said: “We rounded the corner and saw someone with the remote control.”
Ms Burr said the man was her uncle, Allan Pollock.
Owners should not fly their drone over people or large crowds and should respect the privacy of others when flying a drone.
When asked what she thought of it, she replied: “I was sunbathing in my garden in a bikini – I thought that was a bit strange. I was afraid.
Hazel Burr then told the trial how she remembered the drone “flying over” her house five or six times.
She also recounted an incident where she spotted her brother driving next to her home. Pollock, an electrician, did not testify and no crime history was heard at trial.
Finding him guilty, Sheriff Kevin McCarron told him, “I found the Crown witnesses to be credible and reliable.
“In a difficult situation, they testified directly and any inconsistencies were of a minor nature.
“Each of the three elements of the charge has been pleaded and substantiated and I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that they have been proven.”
The use of drones in Scotland is allowed, but with certain restrictions.
Owners should not fly their drone over people or large crowds and should respect the privacy of others when flying a drone.
Drones should also never fly over airports or in areas where aircraft operate.
The rules state that they must be flown during the day and only removed in good weather conditions.
The use of drones or camera drones around sensitive areas such as government or military installations is also prohibited.
