Has anybody else been followed by a random stranger?

Yes, several incidents in my 20s/early 30s.

I was coming out of the tube and passed him going the other way at the top of the escalator. He was quite distinctive looking. Walked home. I lived in a mansion block. entrance up some stairs. I was putting my key in the lock when he came up behind me. Asked me the directions to a road. I said I didn't know (I didn't). He then got angry with "why are you being a stuck top bitch" type comments. Started to come up the steps. I turned the key and he pushed his way in behind me. Pinned me up against a wall inside. Assault. I pushed him off, managed to get up the stairs to my flat. Called the police, they came and told me he probably just danced me, I should be nicer and wear longer skirts (I had an ankle length coat over my "provocative" knee length skirt, but ho hum). Tried to make a statement, the female officer wasn't interested. I lived in a nice area, and that sort of thing didn't happen around here. A few nights later, he was waiting outside my mansion block, I managed to get passed him and inside. I moved to the other side of London after that.

2 years later, I was contacted by the police. An off duty police woman had been assaulted and a man arrested. Her account of his M.O. matched mine and that of another woman, whose account had been dismissed the same as mine. A police colleague had trawled through previous reports and linked the 3 of us. Victim 2 could have been my twin sister. The 3 of us picked him out of a line up. It went to court. I was a far too dispassionate witness, needed to show a bit more emotion (but not as much as the police woman victim, who went to pieces on the stand). When doing such humiliating things as showing the judge and jury how far my skirt came down my thighs, I didn't show the appropriate emotion.

Turned out, he lived on my road (one of those very long London roads that can be beautiful and wealthy at one end and a scary shit hole at the other). Also turned out that the police completely fucked up the evidence (including CCTV footage of him doing a 180 to follow me out of the tube), and a load of evidence had to be ignored. He was found not guilty. Found out afterwards that t the time he assaulted me, he had recently been released from prison for rape.

I once had another man follow me from the tube, talking at me for a good half mile. He only fucked off when I got to the restaurant where I was meeting a friend. He claimed we were good friends at university. He couldn't remember which university that was, what my name was or what either of us had studied. I honestly cannot fathom what goes through the heads of men like this. Is this some sort of seduction tactic that works for them?

Not exactly followed; but, when I was heavily pregnant and standing on the tube, some random got off his seat and came right up to me, his face right into mine, and started screaming incoherent nonsense. The rest of the passengers just sat there. No doubt, if I had bothered to report it, it would have been dismissed as some poor disturbed fellow I should feel sorry for.

I am glad that I am now old and invisible.

Yep. Followed late at night in a rural remote area in my car. Was about 3am and whatever speed I did it just followed at a distance, and it did a route only people driving to my house from a particular village would do. I made a last minute decision to turn into the drive and it bloody followed, only when I u-turned with lights on full beam the bloody police car flashed blue. I was furious and got out and bollocked them - all on adrenalin - I was only about 17 at the time. It was horrible, even though it ended well.

Yes, I was followed by a man very late at night when I was walking home. I ended up going up to a house with a light on to ask for help I was so scared. Luckily turned out to belong to an aquaintance of mine.

I was also followed down the street by a very tall scary man flashing at me when I was 14.

And people say women are scared of men because we've read something in the papers. Most women have had an experience or experiences like this.

You could still report this incident. He might have tried it before at the same shopping centre & already be known to them. He'd have been captured on CCTV.

I used to work in public building. We had a member of the public who would try to engage young girls in conversation, in a creepy way. He was known to us and when he entered the building staff would keep an eye out. He never did anything too out of line or illegal so wasn't at that point a concern to the police (though I dread to think what he may have done elsewhere & under different circumstances). We kept a log of his strange behaviour incase it was needed at a later date.

Yes, this happened to me a few times when I was younger. It’s horrible.

So when you asked he didn't deny following you?

You could report on the police non-emergency number, if there are other incidents it will help the police build a picture and track down relevant cctv

Sadly I think most women have had this experience. Driving also.

Yes I've been followed before. Been randomly approached and asked personal questions too.

Last time I.was followed was a few months back i was walking home with someone else. ( another female)we went and hid inside a shop as there was no where else to go and it was dark.

He started yelling and screaming and threatening us and talking bollocks. With the help of the staff we got rid police seemed more interested in taking down my details despite hearing the guy yelling and me telling him to get out of my face than getting anyone to help us

A few days later he assaulted someone else.

Oh god he sounds very strange!