The women terrorised by perverts on streets
Hundreds of flashing incidents are reported to GMP each year yet victims say they are not taken seriously, writes Sophie Halle Richards
WHEN Katie called police to tell them a pervert had stalked her and exposed himself in broad daylight, she expected them to take it as seriously as she was.
It was 2pm on a summer’s day in Salford, in 2013.
Katie, which isn’t her real name, was in her 20s, and the man who flashed her was in his 40s.
“It felt like he was following me as he kept crossing the road to keep up with me,” she recalls.
“He went ahead of me and then suddenly got in front of me and got his penis out.”
Katie, who had been raped when she was at university, said she refused to be intimidated by the man, using her phone to take a picture of him.
He quickly panicked and ran away, but the incident left Katie with a grim feeling she couldn’t shake.
She reported the incident to police straight away, and says four days later two male police officers came to take a statement from her.
Katie claims that after recalling her terrifying ordeal, the officer’s response was ‘what a funny way to ask you out.’
“They really laughed at it,” she recalls. “I had to be really stern with them to make them realise how serious it was. Finally they did take it seriously and took a description.
“I asked them if they wanted the picture of him that I took but they didn’t. They never contacted me about it again.”
GMP say they are “determined to do more” to stop offenders of flashing, and say they “acknowledge the horrendous effect” crimes of this nature have on victims.
The force is currently in the process of launched Operation Hideaway - which is aimed at targeting those behaving in a criminal and predatory way in open spaces across Greater Manchester.
Flashing, which is formally known as indecent exposure, is a criminal offence and is punishable with a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment.
But conviction rates in the UK for offences of indecent exposure are extremely low.
Almost 600 crimes of flashing and voyeurism were reported to Greater Manchester Police last year.
Yet in eight out of 10 cases, the offender got away without any punishment.
And despite the pandemic bringing multiple lockdowns to the region, which generally saw crime fall, exposure and voyeurism went up in Greater Manchester last year.
There were 567 crimes of exposure and voyeurism recorded in our region in 2020/21 – a 10 per cent rise on the 515 offences the previous year, according to Home Office statistics.
It is thought that many more crimes of this nature may have been committed, because research shows that the overwhelming majority of victims don’t report sexual offences.
When Rachel, a nurse from Didsbury, reported that a man had masturbated in front of her on the street, she says she was told someone “may or may not” phone back.
The 55-year-old, who asked for us not to use her real name, was walking her dog along Parrs Wood Road in Didsbury in August last year when she was approached.
“I think we were a couple of months out of the first lockdown and I was walking my dog near the Old Bedians Rugby Club,” she said.
“It was about 6pm and was still light out. There was a man walking towards me and I think there were a few people in the distance so there were people around.
“He walked towards me and was about a minute away and could clearly see me. He then began to take his t-shirt off which I thought okay fine, it was a hot day.
“I did decide to slow down a little bit then. I could see he had very loose tracksuit bottoms on.”
Rachel said that suddenly, out of nowhere, the young man dropped his trousers to his ankles and started ‘playing with himself.’
“He very clearly knew I was there - he was making eye contact with me,” she said.
“The man was very close probably only about 30 seconds away from me.
“I don’t understand why he had to get his kicks in that way. I am 55 and he was probably about 18 or 19.
“This was a good 10 or 20 seconds of him playing with himself.
“I was very shocked by it. I saw another dog walker I knew about five minutes later and explained it all in really graphic detail which really isn’t like me.”
Rachel says she did report the incident to Greater Manchester Police, but never got a response.
Chief Superintendent Nicky Porter, strategic force lead for violence against women and girls for GMP said of Rachel’s case: “We have reviewed this case following this enquiry, and unfortunately no clear lines of enquiry were identified and we have not received a complaint with regards to this case.
“However should anyone come forward with any new information, or should new evidence come to light, we will of course investigate thoroughly and work to ensure offenders are brought to justice.”
Met Police officer Wayne Couzens had been accused of driving around naked from the waist down in 2015, and twice of flashing staff at a McDonald’s in Kent just days before he abducted, raped and murdered Sarah Everard.
It is felt those allegations of indecent exposure should have led police to conclude that the killer was a potential threat to women.
One 2014 evidence review found that 5 to 10pc of flashers escalated their behaviour to more serious sexual offences.
Just last week, Alice, which isn’t her real name, had been out for her normal daily run along the Bridgewater canal in Castlefield.
She always sets off at around the same time of 11.30am, as she doesn’t feel comfortable running when it gets dark.
“I got to the bridge which runs over the canal and when I first went past I saw a man with his penis out. I gave him a dirty look and ran straight past him,” Alice said.
“I thought maybe he was having a wee or something.
“But on my way back as I got closer he jumped out and got his penis out and starting playing with himself as he started to walk towards me.
“Coming behind him there were three men on bikes. As soon as he saw the bikes he tucked himself away and sat down.”
Alice says she posted about what had happened on her local community Facebook group, and was met with responses from other women saying the same thing had happened to them.
She decided not to report the incident to police, but says she will if she sees the man again.
Daisy Whitehouse helped launch the Right to Walk MCR campaign to help make the city’s streets safer after she and other women were triggered by the death of Sarah Everard.
“I have no personal experience of indecent exposure - I can’t even think about what that would be like,” she said.
“It has felt like something people joke about in the past but actually it is a really invasive thing.
“What I have had is people airdropping me inappropriate pictures of themselves in public in Manchester city centre.
“I remember being absolutely horrified.”
Daisy says the Right to Walk campaign is now focusing on the fact that it’s getting dark earlier, and how hospitality venues can help women feel safer.
“Lots of staff say they feel really responsible,” she said. “I would think it is quite a skill to be able to spot if someone is feeling stressed or uncomfortable. If you think about the fact Sarah Everard was arrested and people saw that happening and thought that was a normal thing they will be horrified to know that wasn’t the case. We want to equip staff with tips on how to identify if someone is in trouble and who they might approach.”
Chief Superintendent Porter added: “We completely acknowledge the horrendous effect crimes of this nature have on victims, and we are determined to do more to stop these offenders.
“GMP is currently in the process of launching Operation Hideaway, which is aimed at targeting those behaving in a criminal and predatory way in open spaces across Greater Manchester.”
The officer’s response was ‘what a funny way to ask you out.’ They really laughed at it Katie