When Dimitris Legakis leaves the house for work each morning he does so after donning a bodycam. Everyone he now comes into contact with is carefully recorded in case he’s attacked or arrested. When he went to college decades ago he never thought he’d fear doing his job. But now he’s become so worried he has dissuaded his son from following in his footsteps. A freelance press photographer who usually works alone, Mr Legakis has found himself in crown court having been arrested twice while working. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here A public order allegation against him was thrown out at Swansea Crown Court last year just before a trial was due to begin and last week he had a conviction quashed on appeal for breach of the peace for calling a firefighter who took exception to him taking pictures at the scene of a fire a “coward”. The photographer from Swansea who runs Athena Picture Agency was found guilty by magistrates last year of “making insulting comments” at the scene at Day’s Rental in Gorseinon in August 2024 at the scene of a fire there. That came after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had decided the evidential threshold had been met and it was in the public interest to pursue a conviction. But Mr Legakis has again won out – although he doesn’t feel like it. Confirming their intention to drop the matter Emily Bennett, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court last week that after reviewing evidence and talking to witnesses opposing the appeal was “no longer in the public interest” well over a year after the incident – during which time Mr Legakis says he’s been through significant mental anguish as a result of the case. The prosecution said the evidence in the case had been reviewed some 30 minutes before the hearing and the evidence of the police officer witness had been withdrawn after he had been spoken to and said “in the light of the words used” to the firefighter it had been decided that it was not in the public interest to oppose the appeal. James Hartson, for Mr Legakis, said it was the second time in less than two years he has been “dragged through the criminal courts” for what amounted to “having a disagreement with police officers”. He said at its highest the words used by Mr Legakis had been an “insult” and he said the photographer has now been prosecuted twice for “upsetting a police officer” while carrying out his work. Mr Hartson told the court his defence case statement raised “legitimate questions about the freedom of the press”. While Mr Legakis is relieved to still be a man of clean character his time spent in a cell and in court again has left him struggling. “It can be a s*** job,” he told WalesOnline. “My son has been begging me to teach him to be a photographer but I showed him videos of what I’ve experienced and I’ve told him I don’t want him doing it.” He told how he has also been assaulted many times by members of the public and said he believes much of what he experiences stems from a lack of knowledge about what a photographer can and can’t do and a lack of respect for photographers. “This is not the first time this has happened to me,” he said. “I have had loads of experiences like this. A woman thought it was appropriate to threaten to kill me in front of my kids after I took pictures of a car accident. I was assaulted on Wind Street too not that long ago. “It’s very strange. When it comes to members of the public we all have high-definition camera phones in our pockets. Many have dashcams in their cars and Ring doorbells. Our lives are photographed every day and no-one seems to care but I get all this rubbish because I hold a camera. It makes no sense.” It’s usually the case that a press photographer or any member of the public can take pictures in a public place of whatever they want to unless in specific circumstances where what they are photographing could be deemed private. Press photographers are often seen at the scene of newsworthy incidents and it’s usually the case that they can take photos there as long as the pictures taken aren’t overly intrusive such as of someone in a serious medical predicament who hasn’t given their permission to be photographed. But it is for the news organisation to determine what is published on their channels and to deal with any potential consequences later. In April last year a prosecution against Mr Legakis was dropped the day before he was due to stand trial at Swansea Crown Court. That prosecution related to the photographer covering a car fire in Sketty Lane in Swansea on the morning of September 22, 2023, during which an altercation developed involving people at the scene. Police became involved and the photographer was arrested. He was subsequently charged with assaulting an emergency worker, obstructing or resisting a police officer, and a public order offence of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour. But the day before the matter was due to go to trial before a jury the prosecution offered no evidence against Mr Legakis. Judge Geraint Walters said having read the papers in the case it seemed to him “the high point of the prosecution case” was that somebody employed as a photographer was taking pictures and a police officer “took offence” to it. Judge Walters called the case “disturbing”, said it “raised serious questions”, and said “something has very seriously gone wrong”. He recorded a formal not guilty verdict to the charge of assaulting an emergency worker. It later emerged that the incident Mr Legakis had been covering when arrested was not an accident nor a collision. David Clarke, 80, had beaten his wife Helen with a hammer as she sat in their car and then set fire to her. Clarke was subsequently sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years and eight months for murdering his partner of more than 50 years. After winning his appeal over the Gorseinon fire incident Mr Legakis recalled: “I got there to take pictures and the fireman, who actually instigated my first arrest, was there. While I was taking pictures he called a police officer over to him and they had a chat and then the officer started walking towards me. “At that point the fireman began making hand gestures in a cuffing signal to tell me I was going to be arrested. I reacted by calling him a coward. “During my first arrest at a separate scene the same fireman had threatened a ‘scrap’ with me. Anyway I was arrested and ended up down Swansea Central Police Station for seven hours. “It was lonely and I was there thinking: ‘What have I done to deserve this? What have I done wrong?’ It’s a horrible feeling. I was very confused. “I was accused of calling the fireman a t*** which I did not. While I was released and given my personal belongings back I played back audio from my camera and it’s audible evidence that I called him a coward many times and didn’t call him a t***. Calling someone a coward is not an arrestable offence.” Mr Legakis said he was in disbelief that magistrates found him guilty and while he was confident the case would fall apart in the crown court there have been moments over the last year where he was worried about his future. “I tried throughout the time waiting for the appeal hearing to suppress feelings of low worth,” he said. “My mental health was going haywire to be honest. “It’s a great relief this is all over. For a few nights I wasn’t sleeping. When I did manage to sleep I was having nightmares. It’s affected me a great deal. “I always knew I wasn’t a criminal but it’s also the embarrassment to me personally this has caused. As a photographer I often have to disclose what has happened. If you have a conviction as a photographer and there is something like a royal visit, for example, you can forget it. No chance.” He said his case raises questions about freedom of the press while he worries about those who find themselves at the scenes of newsworthy incidents in a professional capacity having a lack of knowledge about photography law. “When the police turn up and take the side of the aggressor rather than the newsgatherer trying to go about their work I do not accept that,” he said. “If you see me doing something unlawful then I should be arrested, no problem at all, but please don’t tell me that me taking photos ‘isn’t nice’. It’s ridiculous. It’s my job. “I think when it comes to photography too many police officers are uneducated. It’s a complete lack of understanding of the law around photography and too often they tell you the wrong thing and they do the wrong thing. “The police is one thing but for the CPS to do the same mistake dealing with my case twice is shocking. During my first arrest when it went to trial they decided the day before the trial to offer no evidence and they did the same half an hour before my appeal hearing on Friday. It’s public money. “The fact I asked CPS to review the case before it went to magistrates and for them to say the evidential threshold had been met and it’s in the public interest – for all that to collapse on appeal is very telling. Shame on the CPS. I would have expected better from them and I feel totally disappointed.” Mr Legakis said his negative experiences are not going to stop him doing his job but he is now more cautious and often worries about being arrested while at work. “After the appeal hearing I went to town and parked my car and while I was walking back to the car I saw a security person looking at my car and I had a panic attack. I thought she was a police officer. “Also the other day I got a call about going to the flooded roundabout in Cwmbwrla but instead of just going there without a thought I was thinking: ‘Shall I? Because that same firefighter might be there and convince the police I should be arrested.’ Sometimes I feel fear and like I don’t want to go to work but I force myself because I shouldn’t let this do that to me. “The problem for me as a freelance photographer is I’m usually on my own so I don’t have someone to record all of this for me and to be a witness. I’m forced to carry a bodycam with me now. It shouldn’t be necessary, and it’s not nice for others to be recorded, but it makes me feel safer.” A spokesman for South Wales Police said: “In September 2023 police and fire officers were extending the cordon around the scene of an incident where a woman had been attacked with a hammer, doused in petrol, and set alight in a car. While doing this work an incident took place which resulted in a man being arrested and later charged. Before a trial was due to be held at Swansea Crown Court the Crown Prosecution Service decided there was no longer sufficient evidence to continue with the prosecution. “In August last year police and fire officers were at the scene of a large fire in the Gorseinon area and while managing road closures and a cordon at the scene an incident took place which resulted in the arrest, charge, and subsequent conviction of a man for a public order offence. The Crown Prosecution Service decided not to oppose an appeal of this conviction following a review of the evidence.” Chief superintendent Steve Jones said: “Our officers regularly meet and engage with the media at the scenes of the most serious and distressing incidents without any issue and understand the role of the media in telling the public of what is going on in our communities. “I would like to thank those members of the public who help, support, and show great understanding of the work of our officers and other emergency services who often have to deal with the most challenging of circumstances at the scenes of serious incidents.” A spokesman for the CPS said: “We have a duty to continuously review all our cases. Before the hearing of the appeal a further review of the evidence was conducted and we concluded that there was not a realistic prospect of a conviction. Consequently we did not oppose the appeal and the case was stopped.” Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service refused to comment. Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here . We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice .