Never fear walking home alone again

Read our guide to how ANY woman can learn to defend herself — by a former soldier

On the bus back to Wimbledon after a night out, I noticed a man sitting across from me. I didn’t look too closely, except to register the scruffy anorak, bedraggled hair, stubbled chin and intent, creepy gaze. the longer he stared, the more the conviction came into my mind — he’s going to follow me home.

to thwart it, I jumped off the bus a stop early — I didn’t want this man knowing where I lived. Unfortunately, this stop was right in the middle of the vast, shadowy common that I needed to cross in order to reach my house. even more unfortunately, the man got off, too.

Cursing the fact it was a moonless spring night, I set off across the grass. I could hear him a few yards behind, his pace matching mine. When I sped up, so did he. Fuelled by nerves, I ploughed on, but my apprehension increased when after a few minutes of silence, he drew level and spoke. ‘Can you tell me the way to Raynes Park?’ Relief flooded through me. he was lost, that was all. Rapidly, I provided directions. then the monotonous voice sounded again. ‘Can you tell me the way to Raynes Park?’ I gave the directions once more. then came the same question, a third time.

Just a few yards ahead loomed a well-lit road. I decided as soon as I reached the pavement I would run, but before I could, the man sprang from behind, hands on my shoulders, throwing me to the ground. I fell to my knees, trapped beneath him.

he was more powerful than me, and I might not have stood a chance, but for two things. First, in the instant of attack, the adrenaline that consumed me transformed my terror into a violent rage, so strong I felt momentarily fearless.

Second, I was carrying a heavy bag. Swinging it up wildly, it connected hard on the side of his head. he recoiled and I seized my opportunity — abandoning the bag, I ran.

Once I made it home, the police were called and the local streets scoured, but my attacker had disappeared into the night.

My experience was all too real, but there’s no escaping the fact that in fiction, on TV and in film, we are surrounded by images of women under threat.

Midlife women in danger are TV drama’s default. From homeland and Line Of Duty to Broadchurch and Apple tree Yard, the picture of a vulnerable woman in a hostile environment is intensely familiar. Whether raped, robbed, attacked or assaulted, the idea of a lone woman at risk seems to preoccupy our culture.

It certainly preoccupies my thoughts. I realise now, years after my experience, that the indelible tension of that adrenaline-filled night has never been far from the surface, erupting in the writing of my novels, which feature a hypervigilant female spy.

W HILE the vast majority of women will never, thankfully, experience an assault, which of us has not felt nervous walking in unfamiliar places or after dark?

With more women divorced or living alone, the fear of doorstep robberies or con artists, who force their way into the home, is unsettling.

nor are the statistics reassuring. this month the Office for national Statistics revealed a 22per cent rise in violent crime across england and Wales in 2016, with violence against women and girls reaching record levels.

Knife-point rapes rose 26 per cent and there was a 36 per cent year-on-year increase in sex crimes. According to the charity Rape Crisis, one woman in five aged 16 to 59 has experienced some form of sexual violence.

Yet whereas most girls now receive basic self-defence instruction at school, my generation of fiftysomethings got by with nothing more than a rape alarm that emitted a high-pitched shriek.

So what can women do to maximise their safety and minimise the chances of attack?

Step forward John Aldcroft, a 51-year-old Mancunian with a torso of rock and biceps of steel, who spent his youth serving with the army in northern Ireland.

he has the quiet, controlled manner of an ex-military man, whose personal mantra is to keep out of fights in case he hurts someone. Yet his first experience of violence against women came very young and left a lasting impression. ‘I was four years old when I watched my mother badly beaten up,’ he says. ‘It’s appalling for a young child to see their mother being violently attacked. It had a devastating effect.’

It also made him want to teach women to protect themselves, so he became head instructor of the British Academy of Krav Maga.

the name is hebrew for close combat, and is a notoriously tough technique focusing on real-life situations developed for the Israeli Defence Forces.

John’s celebrity clients include thandie newton, the tough lead actress in gripping BBC crime drama Line Of Duty.

‘there are no age barriers for attackers,’ he says. You could be 18 or 80. But in the case of potential theft, middle-aged women simply have more nice jewellery and paraphernalia than younger women.

‘the good news is, even if you are not as strong as a man, if you know how to move, you can outwit an assailant.’

John is adamant you don’t have to be ‘a black belt’ to learn selfdefence. You don’t need to be overly muscular. You even don’t have to be that fit. I go running

every day. I stretch and do press-ups, so I’m confident I’m no pushover. But I’m in for a shock.

My lesson involves a few essential moves. The first is designed to free yourself from a bear hug from behind by ducking down, turning to the left and then moving under the attacker’s right side, twisting round to free space for a knee to the groin.

John pins down my arms. I almost faint. We try again and I flail like a landed fish. But after a few attempts, the concept of using the attacker’s strength against him becomes apparent, if not easy. Performed properly, the moves are surprisingly graceful. It’s like ballroom dancing with groin kicks.

The knee strike — also known as a knee in the crotch — is the only one of the many moves he shows me that I already know. John explains that these physical techniques are only the tip of the iceberg — it’s psychology that underpins self-defence.

‘We learned the importance of awareness in Northern Ireland. Whenever we were on patrol they told us, if you think you’re being scoped out, change your behaviour patterns.’ John is a great believer in female intuition. ‘The frontal lobe of the brain is what we use for survival.

‘When your intuition kicks in, listen to it. If you have a hunch something’s not right, take preventative action. If you feel you’re being followed, cross the road. If he mirrors you, run.’

Tuning in to your intuition should also enable you to tell when a potential assailant is masking their threat.

‘Sometimes people will cloak threatening behaviour in something benign, designed to break down the space between you, like asking directions or for Take that! Jane Thynne practises self-defence on instructor John Aldcroft the time.’ John recommends creating as much distance between yourself and an attacker as possible. Be wary of prolonged interaction and, in a street robbery, abandon the idea of bargaining.

‘If someone pulls out a knife and wants your bag or phone, give it to them, don’t fight. Don’t approach them — place your bag on the ground and step away. If the situation escalates, that’s when you need to minimise the impact of the assault.’

Actual conflict is always the last option, yet there are times when a woman should consider acting first. ‘Sometimes, if you realise what’s happening, you will need to make the first move. It gives you the upper hand if they have to react to you.

‘Awareness goes in stages from Code White, which is naïve, to Code Yellow, which is subconsciously aware, right through to Code Black, where you should take action,’ says John, delivering his advice in reassuringly practical military jargon.

‘The state we aim for is Code Yellow, where you’re aware of potential threats, but not overstimulated by them.’

AT The end of my session, my mood is distinctly Code Yellow, but my face is more Code Red. Grappling with John is a thorough work-out.

It takes three to six months to gain proficiency in Krav Maga, but John says his one-day intensive course gives women the basic skills. I’m determined to keep it up — I’ve had a glimpse now of that woman who can handle anything the street can throw at her.

On a late night out, I suspect John’s advice might just prove your most important accessory.

1. Use your natural defences

MAKE sure all your senses are on alert. Don’t wear earphones; you won’t hear what’s around you. Similarly, if you’re staring at a screen rather than scanning your surroundings, you are an easier target.

2. Focus on body language

LOOK confident and walk with your back straight. People with their head down look weaker. Confidence is dissuasive — an attacker is looking for someone who won’t put up a fight.

3. Dress to defend

IT’S easier to run in flats, but if you are wearing heels you can take them off and use them as a weapon. expensive jewellery or accessories in uncertain terrain are a careless trigger, laying you open to opportunistic theft.

4. Avoid cross-body bags

THESE act as a rope around your body, allowing an attacker to control you. If you are pulled, go with the movement, but turn and act explosively.

5. Bluff

If you let someone into your house and they turn threatening, make out there is someone else at home. If you feel at risk when walking, bunch your hand in your pocket as though you are concealing a weapon. Letting people know you’re aware is a deterrent because predators want the element of surprise.

6. Run

JOHN says: ‘every woman should practise self-defence, but my most important tip is to run.’

THE British Academy of Krav Maga offers a one-day self-defence course for women (krav-maga.org.uk). Jane Thynne’s Clara Vine series is published by Simon & Schuster. Her latest book is Solitaire, priced at £8.99.