Upsetting encounter with mentally ill man, he spat on me

[Ldnmum276]

I've just had an upsetting encounter with a local well known character in the town centre. He has mental ill health and substance abuse issues.

The reception you get when you pass him varies depending on how he is on any given day, he's either chirpy and saying hello to everybody / stopping traffic so women with prams can cross the road.. or behaving aggressively to passers by.

I've just been for my daily cycle and stopped at a shop for a drink. When I came out to unlock my bicycle he approached me shouting and got right into my personal space, because he was so close to me he actually spat directly into my eye.

I'm not sure that the spit was intentional (though he was being deliberately aggressive) but that would be no comfort to me if he gave me covid or god knows what else.

I'm a small woman with a very obvious pregnant bump and must have looked terrified but people (men!) just glanced and walked on by.

I managed to get on my bicycle and make a hasty exit when he turned his attention to another person walking past.

I'm home now and my eye feels a bit sore but that could be because I've rubbed it that much

Not an AIBU as such but I'm feeling a bit shaken up and wanted to get it out somewhere.

Nothing can be done really can it?

I'm going to be on edge whenever I see him now which is fairly often. He's never targeted me before today, infact I've actually bought him food a few times as harmless as I thought he was.

I guess his mood is changeable depending on whether he took his meds or not? One guy on the wards a while back was being quite an aggressive arse. An hour later he sweetly apologised that he had not had his meds yet that morning.

Not meaning to be flippant though - of course it is not nice when they spit etc etc.

You did the right thing in reporting OP, I hope someone intervenes and gets him help. I know of a man very similar who was one day wielding a knife while in a paranoid state and drunk. Someone hit him in the head with a metal bar to make him drop it and he ended up with a brain injury, though at least he ended up in long term treatment after that. Last I heard he'd made some progress and has meaningful communication.

@Pinkdelight3

It's a horrible experience, and you've done the right thing reporting, but I wouldn't be so hasty to blame passers-by. OP was relieved and made a hasty exit on her back as soon as he turned his attention to someone else. Not blaming her for that either, but unless someone is a copper or trained in how to deal with volatile mentally ill people in a rage, it's a fairly normal response to not get involved and risk inflaming the situation.

I did use the opportunity to get away yes, but in my defence I'm a small pregnant woman on my own and the person he turned his attention to was a larger male (who wasn't on his own)

The second person he was shouting at was much more able to defend themselves than I was, not that they should have to.

In the moment I was terrified and just wanted to get myself (and unborn) away from him.

Had I not been pregnant, and seen a lone pregnant woman being targeted, I absolutely would have shouted out to leave her alone at the very least. I would've also called the police on the spot.

I think because he's so 'infamous' around here people just see him as harmless, which he may well be to an extent, but his behaviour doesn't feel that way when you're on the receiving end of it.

A quick Google search shows he was jailed a few years ago for threatening to shoot people on the bus.

Well yeah something could have been done, he's assaulted you.

OP I'm only on page 2 so this could have been said over and over but please report to the police. I'm saying this as someone with schizophrenia, I've never been aggressive when psychotic ( like the vast majority of people with schizophrenia) but just ignoring this is honestly the worst thing you could do tbh. He's obviously in the middle of a crisis, probably off meds and quite likely to be off the radar of the local mh team. The police will check on him + going by what you've said, probably detain him on a s136 and take him to hospital. This is honestly the BEST thing to do for him. Being psychotic is terrifying, he needs help. And the local people should not be assaulted or threatened by him.

HIV Is not spread as saliva has enzymes that kill it. www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/sexual-health/can-you-catch-hiv-from-kissing/

The courts are taking spitting as a form of assault very seriously since COVID started. Absolutely phone the police, he is ill but he is also a public nuisance and needs to be taken out of circulation for a while.

I have reported it to the police already but probably wouldn't have had it not been for you ladies here, so thank you for that. Hopefully it helps in some way.

Based on his presentation today I would say with certainty that he needs to be secioned or at the very least assessed.

Hep B they say the risk is negligible, but you can get a vaccine, so if you’re concerned phone GP in the morning or 111 and get advice. Better than spending the rest of your pregnancy worrying about it.. I got a fine kick in the stomach 6 months pregnant from a boy in a wheelchair! On the street, going around a corner!! To my long awaited baby! I’m sorry, you have ick factor.

You’ve been assaulted. You need to report it to the Police. Is your eye red or marked? If so take some pics of it.

The fact he’s mentally ill is a red herring. Plenty of people have mental illness and don’t go around randomly assaulting people.

@Thisisworsethananticpated you are talking absolute nonsense, of course she shouldn’t put it down to experience.

Two things - FIRST report this to the police, do not allow him to get away with this and do it to other people!
SECOND - Get yourself checked out ASAP, especially as your pregnant!!!

i think you need to get tested by the gp-just to rule anything out

@Hubstar

I came across a woman being beaten up against a glass window in a busy shopping centre. On a Saturday. She was about 17. Blood pouring down her face. Body smashed up

I stopped the guy. But he came after me and my 1 yr okd daughter.

To this day when I think about it. It makes me really sad. No one helped when the girl was being hit or bloodied. No one helped when he tried to attack me and my 1 yr old. There were over 4000 people there at that time.

Not one.

You’re not alone, I’ve been verbally and physically assaulted a number of times and people just stared rather than intervened.

I now unleash hell when it happens to me as I never expect that anyone will help me.

But I do help when I see it happen to others.

What if anything would my GP be able to do? Genuine question.

It's not like I'm able to get a tetanus shot after a bite, for example.

I'll definitely get medical advice.

I'm totally surprised at people just saying to leave it be. What happens next time if he has a knife and stabs someone?

If someone mental health, substance abuse or not, attacked me like that on the street, I would immediately call 999. What the fuck?

Don't let any posters let you feel that this was ok and to "be kind" as he has mental health issues.

I'm glad you're reporting now, and if more people reported his behaviour maybe someone somewhere would be forced to give him the support he needs.

In my own experience I had bloods taken at the time and at certain intervals (I can’t remember exactly but something like immediate, 3 months and 6 months). The patient also had his blood tested though which is not applicable in this case.
I don’t know whether they can give you any additional vaccines

OP I knew who you meant as soon as I started reading this! I won't use his name but anybody who lives in Catford or several miles around knows this man. My daughter went to school there and the school students had so many stories to tell about him. I have seen him umpteen times. I once saw him attack a police car with fists and kicks and the police just laughed. Just recently there were some posts about him on the local FB, people saying they hadn't seen him for a while and worrying if he was ok. There were so many replies from concerned locals. He is seen as a colourful local character, a lovable rogue.

I don't see him that way. He scares me and I don't think it is an appropriate reaction to shrug shoulders and laugh, as most people seem to do. Unfortunately I don't think the police will do anything as they know him so well. To be fair, I guess they don't know what to do. I guess he doesn't engage with psychiatric care.

You have my sympathies.

Sorry this happened to you.

I live in a small town with one rough sleeper who suffers with mental illness. Everybody knows him and isn't seen as a threat despite his very loud sweary ramblings. I believe he's getting worse and was thinking he needs help.
He was swearing at me the other day from across the road "Fucking Welsh..... Fucking dogs." Like
he was thinking aloud. Not nice, but not scary as he was across the road. But I can imagine he would come across quite
threatening for
visitors.

I once saw him attack a police car with fists and kicks and the police just laughed

Jesus. Anybody else would be arrested on the spot.

I guess with that in mind they probably won't do anything with my call then, aside roll their eyes and say "ah it's just F again"

Such a small world, I didn't expect to see any close locals on here

What a frightening experience it’s shameful people ignited this especially as you are pregnant even if someone didn’t step in I would expect someone to check how you are.

I work in mh and I still get often shaken up when I’m shouted at or someone is very hostile it can feel very threatening

The local police will absolutely know who he is they will have dealt with him before: I know the area and there are more that a few very unwell people out in the community in the area and in Lewisham both of which have high levels of poverty so easier to house around there. It’s heartbreaking to see many unwell people but no one should ever feel threatened

@Thisisworsethananticpated

I don’t know why everyone is so outraged

I’m totally sympathetic to what happened and I’m sorry if I didn’t articulate it OP, really

But the world is fully of mentally ill people and there is no solution or support

She can report , sure
But nothing will happen

So isn’t she better putting it down to a horrible experience and moving on

I agree. If something was going to be done about or for him, it would have been by now. Hard to believe no one at all has ever reported him before.

@Ldnmum276

What if anything would my GP be able to do? Genuine question.

It's not like I'm able to get a tetanus shot after a bite, for example.

I'll definitely get medical advice.

I honestly don't think they would do anything. Probably just tell you to come back if it gets any more sore or you feel ill.

This is totally not acceptable. Being mentally ill is not an excuse to be verbally aggressive and to spit on someone! Definitely report it to 101.
.

I'm wondering if you live close to me in SE London - as this person sounds very familiar & I've had similar encounters with him, both positive & negative.

I called 101 last time, as he was following me in a park, then another woman who seemed intimidated - I had hoped he would get additional support, but impossible to know.