Sisters Speak Out After Being Filmed Under Their Dresses on Manchester Night Out

Two sisters have spoken publicly about the distress of being secretly filmed under their clothing during a night out in Manchester, describing the experience as a "complete violation" and urging society to stop normalising such behaviour.

Georgia Scholes, 25, an actress who appears in the ITV crime drama The Bay, and her younger sister Alex, 22, had just left a restaurant in the Spinningfields area of the city when two men began following them closely up a set of stairs while apparently recording them.

Georgia recounted that something felt wrong when she noticed one of the men holding his mobile phone at an awkward angle. Moments later, she realised he was filming underneath her dress – an act commonly known as upskirting, which has been a specific criminal offence in England and Wales since 2019.

She described the instant impact of the realisation, saying her heart sank and that she felt utterly violated by what had happened. The two women confronted the men immediately, with Georgia asking them to delete the footage. She said she broke down in tears as the shock of the situation overwhelmed her.

Alex also repeatedly demanded that one of the men remove the video. When he attempted to flee the scene, she removed her heels and chased after him. It was only then that a door supervisor intervened and stopped the second man, a move the sisters believe prevented both men from simply walking away from the incident.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that two men, aged in their 20s and 30s, were arrested on suspicion of voyeurism following the alleged incident on Deansgate on 19 September. The force added that both men have been released on bail while further enquiries continue.

Speaking about the aftermath, Georgia said she was left with an overwhelming sense of sadness the following morning. She explained that what had started as an enjoyable evening – getting her hair and make-up done and feeling good about herself – had been tainted by the actions of the two men and the subsequent need to justify what had happened to her.

She also raised concerns about how victims are treated when they report such offences. Georgia recalled that the first question a female police officer asked her was whether she was certain the man had been recording her, a remark she said planted a seed of doubt in her mind at an already vulnerable moment.

Her sister Alex was equally forthright, saying the men had picked the wrong targets that night. She stressed that neither she nor Georgia would allow themselves to be belittled and that they would always defend themselves and each other against such behaviour.

Alex added that they had endured a torrent of verbal abuse during the confrontation. She emphasised that the feeling of being violated amounts to a complete disrespect that taints every positive emotion a person may have been experiencing beforehand.

Both sisters argued that upskirting is a crime that is far too often minimalised and treated as though victims should simply accept it as part of going out. They said the norm should instead be to call out perversion and harassment whenever it occurs, rather than placing the burden on women to be hyper-vigilant.

Georgia specifically criticised the common advice given to women about being aware of their surroundings, watching their drinks and staying alert on nights out. She described such guidance as little more than a plaster over a much larger societal problem, rather than a genuine solution to the issue of invasive filming and harassment.

The case reflects growing concern about the prevalence of covert filming of women, with the BBC having previously found that some men film women secretly during nights out and then profit from the footage. Such investigations suggest the practice is not isolated but part of a wider pattern enabled by easily concealed smartphones.

Legally, upskirting carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison and can also result in being placed on the sex offenders register. Despite this, campaigners argue that reporting rates remain low because victims often feel embarrassed, doubt whether they will be believed, or fear the process of pursuing a complaint.

In this instance, the intervention of a door supervisor proved decisive. Georgia noted that without his actions the men might have escaped entirely, leaving her to live with the knowledge that the footage remained in their hands with no way of knowing what would be done with it.

The sisters, who are both mothers, said they wanted their experience to encourage other women to speak up rather than stay silent. They stressed that confronting harassment is not the responsibility of victims alone and that bystanders have a crucial role to play in supporting those who are targeted.

Greater Manchester Police has asked anyone with information about the incident on Deansgate on 19 September to come forward as its investigation continues. The force has not released further details about the two arrested men while enquiries remain ongoing.

Ultimately, the sisters hope their decision to speak publicly will help shift attitudes so that invasive filming is treated with the seriousness it deserves. They want a future in which women can enjoy a night out without the fear of being secretly recorded and without having to justify their reaction when it happens.