Originally published at: Home inspector caught on camera "pleasuring" self with Elmo doll | Boing Boing
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I don’t know, this feels like victim blaming.
/s
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The only option is to burn the house down
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What this guy did was wrong. However, I don’t think he should be charged with exposure. I’m sure he had no idea nor intended to be recorded. He should be charged with property damage, and whatever other violations he committed.
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My initial reaction was different, but I guess you’re right. In any event, the publicity is going to be a far harsher sentence than anything a judge will throw at him, so there’s no need to lard it on. (From what I read, and I didn’t read carefully.)
The advantage of bright-line laws in this case is that IF he knew there was a camera, which would be hard to prove one way or another, then this becomes an act of pretty serious sexual aggression against the homeowners. In that light, it’s a classic abuse mechanism: I violated you and now I’m daring you to do something about it.
So do I have a right to expect that people aren’t masturbating in my house, if I haven’t invited them to do so, or given some tacit permission? Is the situation different when it’s the plumber in my kid’s bedroom vs. a houseguest in the guest bathroom? And hell, is it different if it’s the kind of masturbation that leaves, ahem, physical evidence (perhaps inadvertently) vs. a kind that doesn’t?
It definitely feels like there are lines to be drawn there, but good luck encoding them in laws!
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Seems like this breed of home inspector would be caught dragging their butt across the carpet.
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he is not allowed to be alone in a home that is not his
Good call.
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That toy is a kids toy. Would you be lenient about a stranger coming into your home and pleasuring himself on items that a child will use? Holy cow, you’re defending the wrong person.
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I’m still trying to figure out why anyone hires contractors and lets them run around the house unsupervised. There are too many home inspector and repair company complaints and problems that can only be avoided by watching the person doing the work. I can’t think of a case where this is a good plan. It’s worth taking the time off from work or other commitments to protect your property.
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You should have an expectation that the inspector does their job professionally and competently, without breaking the law.
My quibble is solely with the indecent exposure charge.
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O_O
Dude, it’s ok to have a weird kink - but fuck your own Elmo doll. WTF???
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Yes.
Only in that it implies a desire to commit pedophilia…
No. As per the first response, unless you’ve specifically invited a person into your home to perform certain acts (such as drop their pants and defile elmo), you have a reasonable right to expect such acts will not occur.
Indecent exposure, creating a public nuisance, and vandalism are all reasonable charges for this situation.
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I have bought and sold many homes on my lonesome, never let any person / contractor freely walk your home, I don’t care what seal of good house keeping they carry. It’s a big NO on that!
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Unfortunately, in my state home inspectors are another profession that is full of diploma mills. You can easily find sites where for a low fee and a very basic exam, companies will “train” anyone to be a home inspector. Even the accreditation for that title has been corrupted, and the sites eager to find new recruits also reveal a lot of their sleazy tricks. So, if you are involved in a real estate transaction, after finding someone with good construction credentials and reviews, you still have to watch them like a hawk.
Common complaints from folks who didn’t supervise are that they didn’t look everywhere in the building - all rooms, basements, crawl spaces, attics, roofs - everywhere. Passive watching isn’t enough, one must come prepared to accompany them everywhere with questions to be answered and notes to be taken beyond the basic reports offered (they’re an upselling tactic used by many firms, and a glossy booklet isn’t gonna help when you find electrical, plumbing, or mechanical problems that weren’t noticed or written up). In my state, they all start by having clients sign a disclaimer, and cannot be sued for screwing up, so it’s on you to make sure you get the full value for your payment.
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Yes. Unfortunately property inspection is poorly regulated in some states, and often they work hand-in-hand with realtors as they are who provide inspectors work, not the individual homebuyer who needs their services a few times in their life.
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These are all totally defensible. I’m just saying, there are reasonable positions that aren’t these. Someone could say, well, my bodily autonomy is more important than whatever rights property ownership gives you, and if you’ve given me permission to have privacy within your house, that’s where your say in what I do with my body ends. I’ve heard people earnestly make the argument that hidden cameras of all sorts should be illegal, including in private residences. And so forth.
When the question is “what shall the speed limit on Elm St. be,” these reasonable differences are easy to resolve one way or the other. But when naughty bits are involved… hoo boy.
I think I agree with your position. If I invite someone to be a house guest for a month and “make themselves at home”, they would expect (and I would have reasonably given) a certain expectation of privacy, which they could use to fulfill certain bodily needs. This expectation includes not being recorded. An inspector or other service provider, or even a birthday party guest wouldn’t be granted this same expectation of privacy.
Hidden cameras are a thorny matter, especially when it involves consensual intimate acts without one (or more, or all) party knowing they are being recorded. And I wholeheartedly believe that making a recording of intimate acts without the express consent of all parties should be illegal. This, however, does not seem to be one of those cases.
He whacked off in someone else’s house, while doing his job, with a child’s toy. Why should he expect “privacy” in a place that is not his home, where he is meant to be working?
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I hope they do some digging on this guy. Going into what looks like a toddler’s room and doing that suggests a sexual fixation on very young children. Someone like that leaves a trail of victims. It’s never a one-time thing.
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