4:00pm Saturday 4th July 2009
A GERMAN tourist was caught trying to secretly film a naked child playing on a beach.
Christian Floss, 64, used a video camera to film the little girl as she sat with friends on railings on Hove promenade on July 1.
But a suspicious passer-by followed Floss as he walked away before flagging down a passing police car.
Floss threw away his video cassette in a rubbish bin but police found it.
The film showed 12 minutes and 39 seconds of footage, including the child on the beach and a group of girls changing on a riverbank.
At Brighton Magistrates’ Court Floss admitted taking an indecent photograph of a child and a charge of outraging public decency.
The court was told that when Floss was arrested he told police he was staying in a bed and breakfast hotel in London during a short stay in the country.
He said he had travelled to the UK to stock up on pies and cheesecake from Tesco supermarket.
He denied gaining any sexual gratification from the filming and said he had shot pictures of jetskiers and boats as well as the children.
The magistrates ruled they had insufficient powers to deal with the case and Floss was sent to Lewes Crown Court for sentence.
An application for bail was refused and Floss was remanded in custody.
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