‘You just don’t want to take the chance’: Women react to Hyde Park assault

Women in Leeds are feeling “unsettled” after three women were attacked in Hyde Park.

Three women were sexually assaulted by a man wearing a face covering within 20 minutes of each other at 2am on Friday according to West Yorkshire Police.

Ruby Powten, who lives in Leeds, said: “I think it’s really rubbish that it’s such a central area among students and that’s obviously the reason that it was targeted.

“It’s just made everyone feel quite unsettled.”

Source: Georgia Lee

Another Leeds resident and student, Anna Howell said: “It’s so concerning and doesn’t make me feel safe, it proves the point that you just wouldn’t feel comfortable walking alone.

“You just don’t want to take the chance because you never know.”

The police have launched an investigation into finding the suspect and are urging anyone who can assist in the inquiry to contact them.

‘Please come forward.‘

Tim Goodall, Councillor for the Hyde Park and Headingly ward said: “It’s awful, I’m so sad to hear about it but one thing I want to do is really encourage people to come forward.

“With some of the stuff we’ve looked at with the Otley run, we hear lots of anecdotal evidence, for example, men exposing themselves to women, men making really horrible comments and sexual assault.

“And women haven’t come forward because they don’t believe anything is going to be done about it but I’ve been really encouraging people on social media, if you know anything about what happened, if you have been assaulted but haven’t come forward yet, please come forward. Because we know in these cases that sometimes they can escalate if a man feels he can get away with something.”

Goodall works with the white ribbon campaign which is a charity that addresses men’s attitudes and behaviours to tackle violence against women, “I don’t think that all the onus should be put on women to avoid certain spaces or have to constantly think about taking precautions.

“I know in reality they have to but it feels like there is too much onus on women keeping themselves safe and there should be more on men to not do these things.”

Source: Georgia Lee

Councillor Abdul Hannan of the same ward said: “I’m very upset that this has happened on our doorsteps and I do hope it is an isolated incident and that the perpetrator is caught and dealt with accordingly.”

“In terms of women’s safety we are ensuring that women feel safe, be it out in the community or bars, clubs, and there are services there to support them if they encounter any issues. And this is followed by our community safety initiative.”

Part of the safety initiative includes the Night Safe Leeds campaign which covers ‘Ask for Angela’, a scheme to make nightlife safer, where anyone can discreetly signal to bar staff their safety concerns. It also covers Walk Safe, a free app that shares your location with trusted friends, finds safe spaces and features an SOS button that alerts contacts. And the Women’s Night Safe Space which is a bus stationed in different spots across the city centre, for women and girls to go to if they feel vulnerable or unsafe.

When asked about what more the council can be doing, Councillor Hannan said: “we need to promote how to report, via police, and promote having the confidence and ability to report it.

“Without the reporting we don’t get the data and once we get the data it allows us to direct the resources and look at plans to ensure that their concerns are heard and we can work towards a safer community.”