[caprimint]

Just curious about this since Sarah Everard's case happening...

Have you ever experienced anything dodgy (or worse) in the street before??

[caprimint]

I'd say the worst I've experienced was in Tottenham walking back from the off-license about 3am or so and some homeless woman asked me for money, icr if I said no or just ignored her but she started to follow behind me shouting something... I was a bit creeped out I guess but my door was right there anyway and also there were a group of guys who always used to hang out around that area, so if she'd started to run or something I would have just gone to them

[GoldHeart]

Originally Posted by caprimint

I'd say the worst I've experienced was in Tottenham walking back from the off-license about 3am or so and some homeless woman asked me for money, icr if I said no or just ignored her but she started to follow behind me shouting something... I was a bit creeped out I guess but my door was right there anyway and also there were a group of guys who always used to hang out around that area, so if she'd started to run or something I would have just gone to them

I usually try to stay away from people that give off creepy vibes, even in BROAD DAYLIGHT they're lurking about .

The homeless woman you encountered could of had mental health issues or maybe an addiction, but yeah sounds strange.

[Amy Jade]

Sadly a few

I was followed after leaving a 24 hour bank, frightened me for ages and still wouldn't use it after dark now.

years ago I was followed and grabbed by a man in the woods I live near (Wepre Woods) I was walking to meet friends and there's a stream that has a strip of concrete under it so people can walk across but it goes up to your ankles, I was heading for the little bridge next to it and saw a man standing on it, he was staring at me so I decided to go across the stream cus I was a bit freaked. As I walked across the water he crossed the bridge and as I reached tge other side he put his hand out to pull me up the little hill and I just said I'm OK thanks and went to go past and he grabbed me arm (not hard but like it stopped me if that makes sense) and said don't be rude and I just said sorry and rushed off, I walked dead fast to meet my friends and I reached them fairly quick and as we chatted the bloke came into view heading for the gate we were at, he walked past and we all went dead quiet cus I'd been explaining but I still wonder if he followed me or if I was just being paranoid

[GoldHeart]

Originally Posted by Amy Jade

Sadly a few

I was followed after leaving a 24 hour bank, frightened me for ages and still wouldn't use it after dark now.

years ago I was followed and grabbed by a man in the woods I live near (Wepre Woods) I was walking to meet friends and there's a stream that has a strip of concrete under it so people can walk across but it goes up to your ankles, I was heading for the little bridge next to it and saw a man standing on it, he was staring at me so I decided to go across the stream cus I was a bit freaked. As I walked across the water he crossed the bridge and as I reached tge other side he put his hand out to pull me up the little hill and I just said I'm OK thanks and went to go past and he grabbed me arm (not hard but like it stopped me if that makes sense) and said don't be rude and I just said sorry and rushed off, I walked dead fast to meet my friends and I reached them fairly quick and as we chatted the bloke came into view heading for the gate we were at, he walked past and we all went dead quiet cus I'd been explaining but I still wonder if he followed me or if I was just being paranoid

There's such a thing as 'good paranoia' , which basically means you're cautious and you don't want to take any chances so i don't think you were wrong to react that way.

It's like if you're walking home by yourself and you think someone is following you , so you try to lose them by crossing the road or turning into a corner or something.

[Vicky.]

Oh god. This could go on for ages if its..lucky escapes (by your own perception, rather than solid reason, meaning your creep radar was shouting, or you just felt lucky to get away from that weird guy, etc. Perception v actual risk is an interesting one..not sure which 'matters more' either, I guess, either for different reasons?) or...some perv wanking and shouting stuff at you.

But talking only of actual physical 'encounters' some stinky (main thing I remember, the bad smell) old guy tried grabbing me when I was on way home at about 10pm ish, like actually lunged at me, missed and left it, but my god, I can still get my heart going fast now if I recall it.

MANY random street gropes. Moreso when an adult, luckily (weird way to view it), but also as a child, from the age of 10/11 upwards. Street gropes seemingly used to be 'the norm' all times of the day, wherever (usually) older men were..seemed all the time when I was younger but, was maybe once a month average, only when alone or with a couple of girls, for me. It never ever happened with a guy around, any age guy, like hell, even taking my 7 year old brother out appeared to give me the protection of a male! Though that may be..looking for things where they are not, through the warped lense of..experience. When I turned 18, I discovered its actually a LOT more common around clubs/pubs, and when people are pissed, oddly. Average, nightly, if out late myself, the groping was worse when I was working rather than drunk...which is...bad really. But it was always kinda made out to be 'part of the job' of a barmaid to..be 'flirted with' by drunks. God I was groped by 45 year happily married men who drank in the bar I worked right up until the day it became known I was seeing Gav. The regular men all stopped then, and apologised to HIM about it, despite it being me they had pawed for months/years. Bastards. Street encounters, ignoring ones where I have gone out the side for a tab and a customer followed...seemed very common though around that time, but was out most nights late, in areas with a lot of drunks Not to excuse it as such, but to explain the..amount of dodgy behaviour I saw. I don't have much experience recently of going out drinking(even without covid) now, but coming back from my mams one night at about midnight ish it seemed the same, a load of male voices, shouting, and one finding himself 'brave enough' to grab my tit. 'Luckily' a guy I know was there and in a bad mood seemingly and floored that guy. I then had an hours long talk, started by him about how if men who sexually assaulted women were all just punched at the time it happened, rather than knowing they largely get away with it, he wondered how much of it would still happen. I figured less, but still a considerable amount. As if there was some form of consistent consequence, a lot of guys wouldn't 'risk it'. We the went into, if it stopped a lot of it, is it an acceptable punishment, even if many would disagree with it, would the ends justify the means, so to speak. Was an interesting night, anyway, off the back of that wanker being a wanker, so..silver linings.

Besides those kinds of encounters..I was jumped on, twice by random people in Durham over a 4 year period. Once was a 'group', older than me, not much though for most of them. Was also in the daytime, whch made it 'better' as night attacks seem scarier, though of course, right when it all happened, noone was around for miles it seemed . In short, I got a 'lucky hit' in with the main one, and the rest were just basically...there shouting and flapping and pretending to be involved really rather than making any effort. Seemed the type to stamp on me if I hit the floor though..which luckily, I didn't. Honestly, I think most were there, and acting that way as they were terrified of the ringleader tbh. Was a 'legend' at school for that. The apparent story in their school started as they got jumped by some huge gang, then one of them outed the others as...blatant liars, at which stage pictures came out which devastated me to start with as always hated photos (though ultimately, without the pics, noone would have known it was me so..)..and apparently (though not sure if this was rumour as was obv a different school, the main lass, and one other got suspended for it all). Naturally the story evolved after spending a few mins in our school to me proper ninjaing everyone with my amazing kung fu skills. Which I didn't correct, or didn't with much of it.

When what really happened, was I hit one of them, then kind of 'eeled' my way between the others hands and ran!

Second time was late at night whe I was about 18 ish. I was skitzing thinking a guy was following me, as I do, and trying to rationalise with myself that most guys are not dicks, and the odds of this one being one are small, and so on. Turned out, a woman might have been worse in that specific instance. Long story short, had maybe the most brutal fight I have ever had, maybe even seen tbh, luckily only fists...as I would have died for sure if she had a weapon am sure of it. Wow. Don't mind saying she got the better of me, by a ****ing country mile. It was odd at the time, which makes more sense now, but despite her attacking me, she seemed to be scared, as if I was attacking her randomly? Like, she would go from being defensive, to attacking again. Really weird. She got took to same hospital as me, I think more to find out what her issue was, as she was behaving really erratically. Had ignored police til then when they were asking for statements repeatedly (bad bad experiences when younger made me distrust police, even when I havent done anything wrong) and not taken much notice of much besides the pain and blood really. Long story short there, she had somehow been released from the local mental hospital, despite still clearly being in psychosis. And was swiftly taken back it seemed. Or everything moved very quickly for her from that stage onwards, to the stage she seemed almost thrown out the door :/

Got told the psychosis thing by the police officer, though the shouting and her sisters crying kind of..gave me the clue Still didn't do a statement which seemed to piss off the officer. But like hell was I going to risk having to go to court or something and purposely bringing that woman into the same area as me. I feel sorry for her, but I am also to this day terrified of her. Shes probably the only person in the world who scares me today, and shes probably nice as nice these days..but I remember her face, and even if I saw her and she was cheery, fairly sure I would have a total fear response.

So yeah, more life stories. And an introduction to my fascination with mental heath issues tbh. Possibly the first time I ever 'went down a wormhole' online, and still do it to this day regularly

[Vicky.]

As a sort of aside, I say to all, always trust your ****ing gut. That awful stomach in freefall feeling you get sometimes that makes not much sense at the time and seems to be from nowhere, the feeling someones off, or someones there when it seems you are alone, always listen to it.

Literally every time I have heard of people ignoring their gut instinct on a topic like this, its ended badly.