How safe do women feel on Nottingham’s streets?
During lockdown on the tram I have felt very vulnerable because nobody is getting on to check tickets ... there are guys that will come right up to you. Stephanie Ward
I try to laugh it off but I know it is not going to end. I think students are easy targets because there are so many of us. Sexual harassment has just become normal. Niamh Hudson
I have experienced groups of lads teasing me and making comments, usually sexual ones or being mean about what you are wearing.
Naomi Robinson
WOMEN have spoken about their constant fear of being followed, approached and harassed in Nottingham.
Nottingham was the first city in the country to make misogyny a hate crime, which includes “cat-calling”.
But women have shared their experiences and said they feel uncomfortable, not only on nights out, but also during the day while walking through the city.
Nottingham Trent University student Niamh Hudson, 20, said she even had to remove some pictures from her Instagram account after she was sent graphic images by a male.
When she confronted him, he said: “I thought you would like it”.
She told the Post: “When I have been out walking I have been harassed by people, especially van drivers, who can escape the situation and drive off.
“It does not just happen at night, it happens in the daytime. I try and laugh it off but I know it is not going to end.
“I think students are easy targets because there are so many of us. Sexual harassment has just become normal.”
Naomi Robinson, 19, also a Nottingham Trent University student who lives in Radford, said she would never walk alone in the area at night. “We don’t feel safe around there,” she said. “I have experienced groups of lads teasing me and making comments, usually sexual ones or being mean about what you are wearing. “I would like people to be mindful about the actions they think are harmless that are not.
“If you sexualise yourself that does not give the right for people to sexualise you.” Stephanie Ward, 55, a customer care manager working in the city centre, said the number of people working at her office had reduced from 17 to four during lockdown. She said at night she can feel “vulnerable” as there are very few people about. “During lockdown on the tram I have felt very vulnerable because there is nobody getting on to check tickets,” she added. “There are guys that will come right up to you.
“If it is unlit you feel vulnerable even down by the bus lanes. I don’t know what can be done? It does not just happen at night.
“I have been followed around a supermarket by a guy asking for my number before.”
But Neve Bennett, 20, who is in her first year at Nottingham Trent University and lives in the city centre said she did not feel unsafe.
“Like every woman you are careful,” she added. “When I walk to the train station at 9pm I would always be on the phone to my boyfriend.
“When I am out I will always tell someone where I am. It is not too bad in Nottingham.
“If there is a group of men you will always walk the other way. Not because I will get attacked - it is the looking, the shouting and whistling.”
Eve Marshal, 20, also a first year student living in the city, added: “I know so many women who have had something happen to them.
“Every night me or one of my friends gets grabbed or has a man looking you up and down.
“On Mother’s Day every man was posting how lovely their mum was but then some of those men are the same that make women feel uncomfortable.”
Chief constable of Nottinghamshire Police, Craig Guildford, said that since the death of Sarah Everard a number of forces had been in touch to find out more about what Nottingham was doing after making misogyny a hate crime.
He added that while the volume of misogyny calls was not high, each incident was taken seriously.
On investigation, he said, some were linked to far more serious offences such as stalking and harassment and action was taken.
Criminologist Loretta Trickett from Nottingham Trent University worked with Louise Mullany at the University of Nottingham to make misogyny a hate crime in 2016.
From April to December that year, there were 31 misogyny hate crimes and 48 hate incidents reported to Nottinghamshire Police.
Mrs Trickett told the Post: “It would be so easy to slip into ‘all men are perpetrators’ and we know that is not the case.
“We don’t believe all men do this. It is a minority and a lot of men are not aware of how prevalent it is before a female partner or friend spells it out to them. We want men to be part of the solution.”
Mrs Trickett said during the research project to make misogyny a hate crime the team spoke to both males and females about this matter.
She said prosecution is not always the answer, and spoke about one example of women feeling afraid of walking by a building site in the city centre due to wolf-whistles and catcalling. The contractors at the site were contacted and the problem stopped after the company told the builders they would take disciplinary action if it happened again.
She said: “Nottingham has been a trailblazer on the focus on hate crime.
“We are not asking for people to be prosecuted for hate crime but if you don’t take action, whether it be education or a warning to cut that out then people feel free to do it. “I think it has got worse. There is this culture that it is normal for women to take these precautions.” She said recent examples included women who were avoiding exercise during the pandemic because incidents were mainly happening when they were on their own. She is also aware of women being harassed by men while out with their children. Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: “I have had quite a lot of phone calls from other forces about how we approach it and how we worked with partners to improve confidence among women.
“We do not have a huge volume of these reports. However, once contact is made that can identify an offence such as stalking and harassment. We take it seriously and once we know we can investigate and refer victims to support services.”
If there is a group of men you will always walk the other way. Not because I will get attacked - it is the looking, the shouting and whistling.
Neve Bennett
A FAMILY has been left distraught after their beloved dad died in hospital before they could say goodbye.
David Howells, 57, died at Queen’s Medical Centre after two weeks without seeing his family due to coronavirus visiting restrictions.
The Carlton family said they were only allowed to see David, who had tested positive for coronavirus, once he had passed away on February 8.
The Interim Chief Nurse at Nottingham University Hospitals said she was “extremely sorry that clearly, we did not get it right in this case”.
Tributes have been paid to Mr Howells, who was described as an “outgoing and positive, gentle giant” by his wife Sharon.
Mr Howells was also dad to Siobhan, 36, Kim, 32, and Grace, 28, and grandad to three children.
The joiner and builder, who had been diagnosed with heart failure in 2018, tested positive for coronavirus during his time in hospital.
Mrs Howells, 60, who met David aged 19 in Rock City, said: “When I dropped David off at A&E on January 25 I just said bye to him thinking he’d be coming home again. He had a build-up of fluid due to his heart condition and he could barely walk.
“Two weeks later, he was gone. As a family we can’t deal with it, it is so upsetting. We should’ve been allowed to see him on compassionate grounds.
“A few days before he died we went down to the hospital to the Acute Cardiac Unit where we were taken into a relatives’ room to speak to the doctor.
“We were told there was a good chance David wouldn’t come home. I told the doctor I would do anything if I could just pop my head around the corner to see him. He was just a few feet away but they wouldn’t let me see him.
“I knew he was struggling mentally and psychologically because of the texts he was sending to me.
“The next Monday we got a call from the hospital to come straight away, but by the time we could get there, it was too late.
“By then, ten of us were allowed in the room with him without PPE. That’s what I can’t live with.”
After testing positive for coronavirus on February 2, Mr Howells “deteriorated from there”, Mrs Howells said.
The family were told that doctors could not get rid of the fluid despite operating on him. Mr Howells was buried in the new suit he had bought for his daughter’s wedding, which had been postponed due to the pandemic.
The family praised AW Lymn funeral directors for allowing him to be buried in his own clothes. Remembering her husband, Mrs Howells added: “David was so loved and so positive. My house was like a florist, it is so overwhelming.
“But he became a shadow of himself in hospital, he just wanted to see his family.
“We can’t believe he’s gone. He loved his daughters and grandchildren to pieces. He was a generous gentle giant who was called ‘big Dave’ by everyone who loved him. “Nobody expected him to go like that. Every hour of the day I go back to what happened during those two weeks.” Mrs Howells said she has written a letter to the chief executive of NUH, Tracy Taylor about what happened with her husband. Kim Howells, 32, added: “I had a feeling the whole time he was in hospital that he wasn’t going to come home.
“They should’ve let us see him, we should’ve been listened to.
“Dad was always dancing and he was an amazing singer. He was my best friend and the life and soul of the party.”
Mrs Howells’ sister Tracy Rose, 55, described him as a “true wonderful soul”.
She said: “He was so loved. He would always help everyone.
“The heartbreaking thing is by the time we got to the hospital, he was gone. Everybody has been left devastated.
“It was heartbreaking for the girls to see him in his wedding suit knowing they’ll never see him again.”
Sarah Moppett, interim chief nurse at Nottingham University Hospitals, said: “We are very sorry to hear of the distress this has caused Mr Howells’ family.
“At the time of Mr Howells’ admission in January, visiting restrictions were in place at the Trust, in line with national guidance, to help reduce the spread of Covid-19 and to keep patients and staff safe.
“The guidance supports compassionate visiting for some patients and wherever possible we endeavour to facilitate this at the Trust.
“I am extremely sorry that clearly we did not get it right in this case.
“We are reaching out to Mr Howells’ family and are keen to learn from their experience, to ensure that we continue to treat all patients and families with care and compassion in these very difficult times.
“We would urge other families with loved ones currently in hospital to speak to the care team or ward manager if they have any concerns or would like to discuss the possibility of visiting in exceptional circumstances, including at the end of life”.
He was just a few feet away but they wouldn’t let me see him.
Sharon Howells