DH has been sprayed with red dye!

[Mojit0]

This morning DH was running along the Thames towpath as he often does. He was running quite fast as he's training. There is an area where the path narrows a bit and he had caught up and was running behind a woman. He thought she moved to one side to let him pass, so he ran up behind her, at which point she screamed and suddenly sprayed him with a spray! Most of it got on his t-shirt but some of it also also got on his neck and lower face, though he didn't realise at the time. She screamed at him to get away from her and then ran back the other way. He was saying to her, "It's ok" etc, but he said she was so freaked out and looked so terrified he didn't try and follow her.
Now he has a zig-zag pattern of red up his neck and on the left side if his face and it really won't come off. He went into work and someone told him its probably a dye that the police use to mark criminals! I looked on google and it looks as if you can buy a red spray dye that won't wash off for 7 days! If it's this, it's a nightmare as he has to go to China on business tomorrow.
DH feels bad that she was so scared and her reaction actually scared him. He thinks maybe he should have held back, but he thought she was letting him overtake her. I think her reaction was a bit extreme though -AIBU? I run down that path frequently (although not at 6.30am) and I have never heard of anything like this.

No one posting here, nor the OP, was there. So one of the following is likely, IMO:

1. OP's husband's story is accurate and the woman, with no warning, sprayed him because he was running near to her and for no other reason. If that is correct, the woman assaulted OP's DH. She was ready to spray anyone who surprised her, with no further threat or provocation. Such a defence to assault would not stand up in court. She was reckless as to whether she assaulted him. Or

1. OP's DH is not telling the full story, and he gave the woman reason to need to spray in self defence. In that case, he would be far less likely to want to report this to the police.

It does rather suggest that the woman had the spray ready to use (and may have sprayed almost as a reflex) if there was no sign of any struggle or physical assault before she used the spray.

*VestalVirgin Wed 26-Apr-17 23:43:04
What if she had decided to carry a knife instead of the spray?

confused

She didn't. Why do so many people on here act as though spraying someone with paint is oh-so-horrible assault? Seriously, calm down. It's annoying, but that's all it is.

Don't act as though she decided that morning to carry red dye instead of a knife and it was a 50/50 chance. That's bonkers. It's not remotely the same thing. Police doesn't recommend that you carry knives, since they're a risk to you.

There is zero reason to assume that this woman would a) have carried a knife at all or b) acted with so little provocation when carrying a knife.

If men must now live in fear of being sprayed with red dye when running on a lonely path at 6 in the morning, then ... that's still worlds better than what women have do deal with, namely, the danger of being raped.*

I'm gobsmacked at this really - so men have to be weary of running on a lonely path at 6? Because of some women's anxiety?

So basically your accusing my son, and many other sons of being potential rapists who dare to go running at that time in a morning. Just because it's better that some women feel safer?

BOLLIX. Absolute BOLLIX!!! and yes I'm shouting. How bloody bigoted and how bloody offensive to men. You do nothing for equal rights. Disgusting.

Try nail polish remover on a cotton ball. I've used this to remove permanent marker that my students have accidentally used on the whiteboard: nail polish remover will take off ANYTHING.

After reading this thread, I'm bloody scared of strangers... mainly those on MN.

Many, many bonkers people on here.

I've only read the OP's posts as the silly speculation was getting too much, but just checking that someone has suggested the green make up to tone down the red? Hope the police station goes well in the morning.

Women don't ever get a pass for letting their guard down

Yes, we do. Had she let her guard down in this case, both she and OP's husband would have carried peaceably on with their respective runs and nothing would have happened to her.

A man jogging past a woman on a narrow path is not grounds for her assaulting him.

She is the criminal and I hope she is treated as such by the law.

I'd be interested to see Vestal just shrug off getting paint that doesn't come off her face and neck for 5 days as it's just annoying

Yeah it was probably a fucking canyon she chased him across to spray him stillhungry

OP, how fast does DH's facial hair grow? could he get away with not shaving and hoping that detracts a bit from the redness? I know not shaved looks scruffy for the first few days but its better than a dyed face.

Nivea creme removes red hair dye quite well, it'll sooth his poor skin a bit after all the scrubbing too, toothpaste works on food dye so might be worth a try and washing up liquid mixed with sugar gets most dirt off.

I would find my ruined clothes also more than just "annoying".
I cannot imagine how I would feel having to walk around for a week with red dye on my face! Mortifying! There's folk out there who won't go to the shop without a full face of makeup on. I'm sure they wouldn't shrug off a dyed face.

Vestal is probably the one spraying paint over innocent people.

All the men round her way probably have permanently red painted faces for daring to exist in her presence.

Well 2-3 metres is generally an acceptable distance away from somebody, very easy to spray someone from that distance though

Well unless this woman has some very rare medical condition I doubt she is 2-3 meters wide that would require her to move aside to let him pass as the man assumed she was doing.

I didn't say she was but for an example she may have been in the centre of say a 5metre wide piece of path, moved to the left 2.5m so OPs DH thought she was letting him through and sprayed him from the side

She wouldn't need to move if there was 2.5 metres either side of her. He could just pass her!

Zilphas is just being a goady twat now folks, its not possible for someone to truly be this idiotic.

She is defending a person who committed an assault. If she is fine with assault than she is no better than the woman who attacked OP's husband.

Or if that's not narrow enough or you a 2.5m pathway with them being full on the right and then moving to the left

As I said an example...

MyShiny can you quote the posts in which I have defended this woman please?

And no I'm not being a goady twat (that's a personal attack BtW) I'm responding to people who have addressed me.

If we are going to get all picky about the exact distance measurements, perhaps someone could quote the measurement within which people get a free pass to assault someone.

Oh no you can't, because there is no such thing within the law.