Flashing

[reportit]

Wayne Couzens is said to have flashed / exposed himself to women a few times
In the lead up to his murder of Sarah Everard.

It got me thinking...

How many of us have been victims of so called flashing? Did you report it? What happened?

It happened to me twice. Once as a child (13-14?) on the beach with friends.

Second time aged 18. It was reported and i went to court. He was convicted for indecent exposure with intent to assault.

Yes and no. I was 14 and in my school uniform, he was masterbating.

Thankfully, never.

to those of you who had to endure such a horrible thing.

Several times. The first time I was 11 and walking home from school in my uniform. He was in a parked car. My mum phoned the police to try to report but they weren't interested.

It happened several more times during my teens. Men wanking at tube stations or on the tube itself. Once in a town square abroad. I never reported any of them.

Hasn't happened to me for many years now, but my daughter is now 11 and I am very worried about her going to secondary school alone from next year.

Many times. The first time at the school bus stop when I was 11. I was terrified as he started following me. I never told anyone.

A guy would stand naked in his bedroom window peering out and open the curtains fully every morning when our double decker school bus pulled up to the bus stop outside his house.

An old man stood masturbating on the other side of a path leading up to my college more than once. We would all laugh at him but he just carried on. We didn’t report it because we didn’t feel threatened, it was rather funny as teens and I suppose we had a “men will be men” attitude. I’d probably have felt different if I was alone and not bolstered by my peers.

When I was 15 I was attacked by a man in a crowd of people in the centre of town. He feigned being caught in the throng of people and being unable to get past me but he was really holding me firm and had his hands all over me. Everywhere. I didn’t report that either as I couldn’t face describing what had happened and every time I went over it in my head I questioned myself over and over as to whether I was dreaming, I had made it up etc like I was unable to come to terms with the fact that it was real. I can still picture every inch of his horrid smirking face to this day.

Yes, as a student, and reported it to police - I was invited down to the station to give a statement and look through a book of mugshots. I remembered his face vividly (he had close-cropped red hair and lots of freckles), but his photo wasn’t in the book and so nothing came of it.

Yes it happened to me, yes I reported it to the police.

I got the feeling that because I wasn't incredibly upset by it that I wasn't truly believed

Back in the 80s there was a guy who'd wait for us to come out of school at lunch time and stick his dick through the letterbox. We complained, nothing was done.
One lunchtime one of the older girls went ahead and stood just out of sight of the window he looked out of, when he saw the rest of us coming up she slammed the letterbox on it.

Sadly he was charged some years later for child abuse, maybe if we'd all been listened to this could have been avoided. Sad that as a group of girls we had to deal with this behaviour ourselves.

Many times. Central London childhood which might have skewed the numbers a bit but started when I was about 7 on a school trip, a man exposed himself to us from the opposite train platform.

A man who used to stand naked at his window under the pretence of opening his curtains on the walk to ( Primary) school.

A man who literally used to pop out from behind bushes in Ravenscourt Park and waggle his dick around. At children.

A man who was regularly around Aldgate tubes who would flash women in the underpass.

3 separate occasions of being masturbated at whilst on empty tube carriages and unable to get away.

2 separate men stopping in cars to ask me directions who were also wanking.

A man in Barcelona wanking at women walking past.

Another man on the same day wanking behind a bush outside the Joan Miro museum.

It is absolutely insane how in thrall to their dicks men are.

Yes. When I was 17, so 22 years ago now. I didn't report it at the time. I regret that now.

Happened to me twice, both in quite intimidating circumstances. Never even crossed my mind to report it - I knew the police wouldn’t do anything (disclaimer - my dad was a policeman).

I was 19 and walking with friends in a new town in spain on my year abroad. Feeling light hearted and chattering. We heard a knocking on a window to our left and a man wanking furiously at a window at us very clearly (feet and bust/head hidden) about 3 stories up. Killed our high quite quickly. There's been some other flashings on public transport that I barely remember except a feeling of fury and powerlessness..

The first time I saw a penis! Friend and I were probably 11 skating along a street, a man just opened his coat and there it was. We thought it was hilarious. It was only looking back I realise how vulnerable we were and how the experience was. In a weird way, im glad I was so young as it didn't frighten me.

Yes, several times. Never reported it.
The first time my friend and I, aged 11 were in the local park and a man was masturbating next to the path in the bushes.
It was absolutely horrible.
We didn’t tell anyone because we both thought we’d get into trouble and it would somehow be our fault.
How the hell did two lovely little girls think we would be to blame for this?
It’s absolutely horrifying.
Glasgow 1980.

When I was 15 and walking home alone at night in a dark street a man had his trousers down and was waving it at me. I ran like the clappers. Got 2 streets away and a boy from school caught up with me. He had seen it and walked home with me.

No not been flashed at, might of caught the odd guy and even gore going for a pee when drunk in what they think is a private place , but not an actual flashed thankfully

Three times.

Once on a train midday, aged about 11 with a girl friend, I realised the pink think on his lap and peaking out from under his jumper, was a penis.

Same town, aged about 16, getting on a bus a man opened his coat and there it was ... I told the bus driver who called the police.

Same town, aged about 19, on a remote metro station the only other person at the station at about 10.30 started to masterbate, cock out. I ran back to my friends.

Last time, in The Hague of all places, aged about 24, walking midday in a park a man stepped out from a bush masterbating.

Yes several times. Never reported it. I think I thought people would think I was being dramatic or wasting police time.

It happened to me when I was a teenager. An old man lived behind me and he regularly used to stand at his back door with his bits out and play with himself. I thought I imagined it at first but he got more brazen about it as time went on. And I was too afraid to tell anyone because I didn't think anyone would believe me. He died when I was 18 and I went out and got absolutely hammered and celebrated.

Yes as a child in the park in the afternoon. My sisters and I aged 5-9 in the 80s. Told dad, he went out and found him and gave him what for. I don't think police reporting for flashing was really a thing then. They were just considered 'weirdos' - glad we know more know more now.

Yes it happened to me a lot. Maybe 10 times - worst was when I was 15 or 16 walking in a subway on my own. I ran all the way home and hid. It terrified me.

Reported only once but the police took it seriously and went looking for him.

This happened to me twice in one week when walking to/from school. Two different men in two different places, I didn't report it. In the same week a man tried to grab another girl from my class on her way home from school, luckily she got away.

Never been flashed. But I know it's serious and needs to be reported.

Happened to me about 5 times. I reported to the BTP the last two times and they were great.

It’s one of those things that really separates the sexes, isn’t it? I mean the very idea of a woman exposing her vulva to strangers in public and getting a thrill out of it? Ludicrous. Or maybe I’ve lived a sheltered life?

Obviously it must happen, but I bet it would be seen as a proper mental health issue and not just an annoying nuisance (or as somehow funny?) by society.

Men exposing themselves was common enough in my teen years that I remember groups of girls talking about what was the best thing to say to the man when it happened to you. My favourite was ‘Ooooo look, it’s like a willy only smaller!’

A bit risky, thinking back now.