The woman took a photo of the man at a local shopping center in Melbourne and posted it on Facebook last Wednesday, labeling him on her status as a “creep,” Mail Online reports.
The post wound up being shared thousands of times, and the wrongly accused man, a father of three, was forced to contact police to inform them that all he was doing was taking a selfie in front of a Darth Vader cut out sign to send to his kids.
The mother doesn’t want her name revealed, but she says she has tried to contact the father to apologize in person after receiving death threats, according to the Knox Leader.
Once word got out that the man had been wrongly accused, the social media started throwing sparks and hundreds angrily condemned her actions, especially after the man said he was devastated at being labeled a pedophile when he took the selfie for his kids.
It was the first selfie he’d ever taken, and when he saw a few kids nearby, he merely told them he would only be a moment if they wanted to take a photo, according to Mashable.
The dad, who also wants to remain anonymous, found out about the issue when his phone began ringing off the hook during a business meeting. His friends had noticed the photo being circulated online.
He headed to police, who verified his story and cleared him of any wrong doing. On Friday, he told the Knox Leader that he is completely embarrassed and devastated by what has happened.
“I fully expected to come home to find my house torched or something worse,” he said.
He is asking people get their information correct and use actual news organizations, not social media, for correct information so that something like this doesn’t happen again.
“People need to get their information from proper news sources rather than rely on drama queens who share things without thought on Facebook,” he said.
This has left him and his kids devastated, he said, per Mail Online.
“I’m a father of three kids and a normal human being.”
“I was in two minds whether to take the selfie, but I thought it’ll be a good daggy dad joke.”
“In real terms it was embarrassing enough to be standing in front of Darth Vader to be honest.”
He says he’s been considering legal options since the post has been shared 20,000 times and has been seen by friends, colleagues, and family around Australia.
Like the woman who mistakenly believed he was photographing her kids, he has also received death threats.
“We’re a very strong, community-minded family and we’ve never had any issue with any form of impropriety and all of a sudden my name is smeared,” he said.
“I would like people to understand the perils of social media, especially unreliable and uncorroborated information.”
The dad says he was in Target Wednesday looking for a present for his partner’s birthday.
The woman has contacted the Knox Leader and says she wanted to apologize for putting the photo on Facebook.
She was tearful a number of times during the interview and says she has been unable to sleep since the incident after receiving two death threats, one to her face, and the other on Facebook.
Now she says her kids are going to receive counseling because they are upset.
“My kids are now suffering because of a stupid mistake I made,” she said.
She says she’s been trying to contact the man and wants to apologize in person. She says she hasn’t heard from him.
“It was never done with the intention of splashing it all over these social media pages,” she added, noting that she thought the settings for her Facebook page were on private when she posted the message. Now she says she realizes she should never have posted the photo, the Knox Leader reports.
“I just need to say sorry … for not letting (the police) do their job, and putting my concerns on social media.”
The woman says she was shocked with the speed that the post was shared and now urges others to think before they post.
