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AIBU?

To think that local papers should write to warn people about this...

16 replies

lauraloola · 04/10/2008 21:51

A girl that my brothers girlfriend knows was walking home from college last week at 4.30pm along a road that is usually quite busy.

A guy in a van tried to call her over but she ignored him. He then pulled up along side her and tried to get in the van. Luckily she ran away to safety.

The police were involved but there has been nothing in our local paper or news. Surely this is the sort of thing that people should hear about as a warning. I hate the fact that so many things are 'hidden' by the police and press.

OP posts:

Report

zippitippitoes · 04/10/2008 21:52

i think this happens all the time

mostly it is not sinister just unpleasant

schwotz · 04/10/2008 21:53

She should tell the college so they can send details to other students at the college.

lauraloola · 04/10/2008 21:54

Its awful. It has really put me off walking anywhere with dd. I guess it must happen a lot and that it is just forgotten about.

OP posts:

abbierhodes · 04/10/2008 21:54

That's not a news story!!! nothing happened to the girl!!! Who do you suppose is 'hiding' it? And as this isn't even someone you know, I'd question whether it really happened.
YABU and a bit ridiculous!

schwotz · 04/10/2008 21:54

Our primary school sent out a letter recently when this happend to a child in a secondary school nearby. Asking parents to remind their children how to keep safe.

lauraloola · 04/10/2008 21:57

I have never known it to happen where I live. The college was informed and hopefully the surrounding schools.

OP posts:

FAQ · 04/10/2008 22:00

I walk everywhere with my DS's - and have frequently had people in vans calling out to me and pulling up next to me........

They then proceed to ask me where "x,y,z street is" (but not always in very good English so I have had some "interesting" conversations with some of them )

schwotz · 04/10/2008 22:01

I have never know it happen where I live. There are lots of things you don't know about, if you did, we'd all worry to much to do go anywhere. My sister was flashed at when she was 15 coming home form a Saturday job. We didn't expect that either.

FAQ · 04/10/2008 22:03

one bloke even got out of his van......so I could show him on his map where he actually was - and where he wanted to be.

it was your brothers, girlfriends friend that it apparently happened to - did you here it direct from the girl - or did you hear the "adapted" story (bit like chinese whispers) as it passed through the chain to you?

It's not news - nothing happened to her!

FAQ · 04/10/2008 22:05

ooooo schwotz - that reminds me of when I was younger. When I was about 9yrs old there was a flasher that had offended several times that was finally caught by the police (he had a nickname - but I can't for the life of me remember it now). When I was 12 we moved house (in the same town) - about 3yrs later we discovered our messy neighbour (his garden was horrendous, whose house I often used to play in as I was friends with his daughter.....was

the infamous flasher !!

PeaMcLean · 04/10/2008 22:08

How old is the girl?

If the papers reported everything that the police got involved in, they'd be accused, quite rightly, of scaremongering. There's no story here so far as a newspaper is concerned.

lauraloola · 04/10/2008 22:33

She is 16. I suppose I have never heard of it happening around here that I am a bit shocked by it. The police traced the blokes registration plate to an address in London - 4 hours from here.

OP posts:

FAQ · 04/10/2008 22:35

ok - so your local papers should write and warn people about someone that usually lives in London

solidgoldbrass · 04/10/2008 22:38

Er, are you sure that the person this allegedly happened to exists? Given that it's about a fourht-hand story you are reporting. Maybe she went home and found a fried mouse in her KFC as well, or got some funny phone calls and then the police phoned her mobile to tell her to leave the house now as the phone caller was ringing her from the upstairs extension...

FAQ · 04/10/2008 22:40

of he was from London he probably pulled over to ask for directions - bet he was lost (and the "tried to make me get into the van" was am embellished bit......)

PeaMcScream · 04/10/2008 22:45

To be fair, I do believe the "tried to get her into the van" bit. It happens. But the question was about whether it was being hidden by the police and press. Since she got away, there's not much they can report. And she's 16. This happened to a 6 year old near us and parents received a warning frm the school. The police and papers simply cannot report every dodgy incident in the area. Unless you're somewhere very isolated and the theft of a tarpaulin gets news coverage (I have seen that in a rural newspaper)

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