Lawmaker wants to an end to peephole loophole in NYC

Peter Vallone moves to outlaw voyeurism in the city

NEW YORK: New York’s peeping toms could face up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine if caught leering over people in private or public places, under a bill put forward this week to outlaw voyeurism.

“These perverts use their eyes to invade the privacy of people’s bodies, leaving many feeling violated,” said council member Peter Vallone, the lawmaker behind the proposed legislation. “Up until now, there has been a peephole loophole that gives anyone a licence to gawk, leer and spy anywhere they please.”

While state law currently forbids people taking digital or film images of other people without their permission, so far there is nothing to prevent voyeurs from gawking through telescopes or binoculars or with the naked eye.

“To be found guilty under the law in a public place, violators must repeatedly position themselves to view another person’s intimate parts that otherwise would not be visible to the public,” Valone said. “Or, if in a private place, a violator must view these parts when the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as when they are undressing in their bedroom,” he added.

For any potential peepers in need of legal clarification, the bill defines intimate parts as “the human male or female genitals, pubic area or buttocks, or the female breast below the top of the nipple, and shall include such part or parts which are covered only by an undergarment.”

The lawmaker decided to introduce the legislation after several female constituents complained to him about a man who routinely stands under the steps of an elevated New York subway stop peering up women’s skirts. The bill is part of proposed legislation that Valone has introduced to clamp down on flashers by adding the offense to a list of sex offenses.