Suspect package at Brighton Pride was, in fact, a pinhole camera

It turns out the “suspect package” that caused a disruption at Brighton Pride’s 25th anniversary last Saturday was, in fact, a pinhole camera.

Sussex Police confirmed this in a statement, saying the camera found on Saturday was linked to two similar items found in Brighton last July and in August 2013. All three were “empty drinks cans with a piece of photographic card or paper inside, covered in black duct tape and taped to railings or road signs”.

Contrary to their earlier suspicions, detectives have concluded that whoever placed the camera at the Brighton seafront had no malicious intent to wreak havoc at the Pride parade.

Detective Inspector Julie Wakeford said, “We have linked all three items as pinhole cameras. No offences have been committed on this occasion as there was no deliberate intent to disrupt or cause harm and we do not believe that the person responsible considered the implications of placing that item at that location.”

She added, “The item on Saturday did look like a suspicious device and we were concerned enough to call in the bomb disposal unit, who after making a further assessment, also agreed it was highly suspicious and carried out a controlled explosion.

“It is reassuring to know that there was no intention of targeting Pride or any particular community.”