Airport worker accused of body scanner voyeurism

A security worker at London's Heathrow Airport faces disciplinary action over claims he ogled a female colleague using a full-body scanner, news agency Reuters reported today.

The 25-year-old worker made lewd comments after his co-worker, 29, strayed into the scanner, which can see through clothes to produce an image of the body, the Sun newspaper reported.

The case is believed to be the first of its kind since the full-body scanners were rushed into service at a number of British airports in the wake of an attempt by a suspected Muslim extremist to blow up a plane bound for Detroit on December 25.

They are now being rolled out at airports across the world.

The woman told the Sun she had been "traumatised" by what had happened and had informed police and her bosses at the airport's operator BAA.

However, comments posted on the Sun 's website indicate little public sympathy for the aggrieved woman.

"So she would probably feel better with lots of money to compensate her emotional trauma ... cognitive dissonance yet again. She seems to have no moral objections to using it on all the passengers and seeing THEM naked", wrote Keith M.

And:

"You mean to tell me she was dragged into the machine? Come on!! She was complicit in entering the machine and fooling around. Now she smells money. She should be prosecuted for wasting police time. The guy involved should not be sacked", wrote Leeds2109.

Opponents of scanners have argued since their introduction that they risked breaching individuals' rights to privacy.