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.

If uppityhumpty is correct and this is a woman deliberately spraying numerous people then that makes a lot of sense and whilst its a pretty horrible thing to have happened at least you DH can be assured he did not scare her and he is not the only one and my avid watching of line of duty has paid off

The feeling I'm getting from some posters is that he "asked for it"

I hope those posters don't have sons.

I often walk along the towpath (on my own or with small children) - I expect to be overtaken by cyclists, joggers, fast dog walkers etc. I expect people to come up behind me, I expect people to have to get near me in order to pass, sometimes people maintain a steady pace behind me & then overtake. That's normal for the environment. Sometimes people call hello or whatever but more often than not everyone is plugged into their speakers & in their own world. You can't give people lots of room, it's a bloody towpath!

All of that is okay, it is normal, it is what people do on a towpath. There's nothing wrong with OP's husband's behaviour and I would absolutely contact the police.

Yes, you can phone 101 now OP and say what happened. Who knows if the police are at the area now looking for a man with red dye on him, if the woman reported this. You could be stopping them wasting their time looking for a non-existent attacker.

she didn't know OP's husband was innocently trying to get past, she panicked

No she didn't know but you still can't go round spraying whoever you like with red dye, thinking a stranger might not be nice is no excuse,

SummerHouse It's the other side of London, not the same area.

whisky like I Saud, it's common round here for people to SPEAK. A loud 'excuse me' or 'beep beep' would have done it

Honestly I don't think he needs to contact the police, unless that's the only way he can get rid of the dye. I'm sure the woman has already realised it was a mistake.

I'd get your husband to report this to the police.
I'm sorry for whatever has happened to her but this is not on.
She cannot do this to people.
What happens if she sprays yet another innocent person somewhere like the eye??

Oh and your husband has done nothing wrong!

I hope your husband gets it sorted

Seems a really odd thing. It seems unlikely that it would dissuade an actual rapist

The idea is to distract the attacker, as well as identify. Distraction can give you vital seconds to get away. Much like if you're being mugged you throw your bag/purse/phone to distract and give you time to run.

"The feeling I'm getting from some posters is that he "asked for it""

He committed the crime of "running while male"

I always get annoyed at threads like these, men should have to be second class citizens on public areas, and if they innocently dare to run past a woman on a known running spit they should expect to be dyed red

It's entirely possible to be sympathetic to the husband whilst still acknowledging that there are very real and valid reasons for women to respond this way.

Exactly this. I agree what happened to op's husband was terrible and he should go to be station to report it in case she has reported it as an attempted attack. They may also have some advice on how best to remove the dye. He can then decide if he wants to press charges or not. Hopefully you manage to find something that works to get it off before he goes away.

But I totally understand this woman's fear and I feel it's a sad reflection of society that we as women feel we need to carry these things to protect us. BUT at the same time, we need to be measured in how we use them. I carry my keys between my knuckles if I'm walking alone at night, however I don't just jam them into everyone who walks past or approaches me, even if I do feel threatened. As odd as it sounds you need to wait for them to make the first move, you can't just assume someone is going to attack you.

I suffer from anxiety, most people make me nervous

DD suffers from anxiety and does not like people. She walks in a country park to help her MH.

If people get too close to her, she hops up onto the brindle path out of their way or gets her phone out and either actually phones someone or pretends to. She doesn't assault people for passing her.

I wouldn't encourage her to carry something like this. I do sometimes ask her to take the dog if she if going out unusually early or late.

It doesn't scrub off, it just gets stickier. He's stuck with it for a week. Sorry. I carry a can of it in a holster on my bag when I go out. The range is about 12 feet. There's only a small amount in the can, about 60ml. He's just unlucky I'm afraid. The object of it is to disable an attacker for long enough so that the person carrying it has a chance to get away. If someone's carrying this stuff they've had experiences that make them feel this kind of defence is necessary. It's harmless, even in the eyes, it's just a marker, no pepper or anything noxious.

Contact the police. She may run at the same time each morning, so might catchable in the same location tomorrow.

she didn't know OP's husband was innocently trying to get past, she panicked

... well that's okay then!

It causes your eyesight to go blurry, disorientates you and gives the person you are attempting to attack time to get away.

The spray by the way is legal. So not sure why everyone thinks she is going to be charged with assault?

Two sides to every story and all that. The police would rather deal with the victim of Red Spray then the victim of Rape.

Although not the same area I think its the most plausible explanation. Perhaps she has moved location, maybe she has an order banning her from that area, or its someone else doing the same thing?

NancyWake "I'm sure the woman has already realised it was a mistake."

No necessarily. She could equally think she successfully fended off an attacker and be breathless telling people "Thank goodness I had my spray ready or I don't like to think of what might have happened" The police should be informed.

What support lost and from who? She will be waiting months if not years on the NHS.

Strange, I got in contact on Friday, got told I should get an appointment to start by next Monday and it's not an emergency

Or perhaps the woman thought she was about to get mugged, battered, or, raped.

Now there's a plausible explanation.

I wouldn't expect someone who did this regularly to look terrified as the OPs husband described.