Assaulted in the Swimming Pool - Worth Reporting?

[RedEcho]

Name changed in case identifying.

Today I was at my local pool, which is always very quiet around this time of year. There is always one lane up, the pool was empty apart from one man swimming very slow breastroke up the middle of the lane. I headed for the lane, he saw me and so I started swimming up one side to go in the usual clockwise direction that is standard in lanes. I do a reasonably quick, efficient front crawl. The third time of doing this, he sort of paused as I passed him on the other side (I could see him under the water) and then I felt a pressure on my left shoulder and he pushed me down under the water.

I had a couple of moments of panic where you can't breathe and then he must have removed his hand and I bobbed up. Then he started shouting at me, I don't even know what. I told him to leave me alone. The lifeguard did nothing. I resumed swimming and tried not to make a fuss. He seemed to disappear after that.

At one point in my swim, I stopped to get my pull bouy at the end of the lane and he must have been in the showers opposite because the same man walked to the front of the lane and started shouting at me again. Something to do with swimming that he seemed to take great objection to and he asked me what I thought I was doing. I called the lifeguard over and he was rather blase and claimed that we had swam into each other. We had not. I actually cried out in shock quite loudly when I surfaced and the lifeguard admitted hearing this. The man deliberately assaulted me by putting his hand on my shoulder and pushing me under, and there had been plenty of room to pass. I told the man, repeatedly to leave me alone and said that I was here to swim. I had to shout at him 5 times to leave me alone while the lifeguard did nothing. Eventually he moved away.

Once I'd finished swimming I spoke to the lifeguard and asked him what he had seen/heard. He again claimed that we had swam into each other and was prevaricative when I asked why he hadn't told the man to leave me alone and why he didn't seem to understand what that meant. I realised I was getting nowhere with him as he was probably sticking up for the other man and left.

I think what happened is that the man in the lane expected me to acknowledge him, chat to him a bit or something (I really feel uncomfortable talking to strangers in pools wearing just a swimsuit) and when I ignored him and just got on with swimming, he decided to do something to draw my attention to him, like a "she's not getting away with me ignoring me".

I'm absolutely fuming though. You feel so vulnerable when you're in a swimsuit in an almost empty pool and it was a proper assault. I mean I'm not injured, but it was horrible. I won't use that pool again, I've heard of other people having similar troubles there and I'll use a different one further away, but is there any point at all in reporting this to the police? The lifeguard is obviously going to be of little or no help and the man is only going to claim I swam into him or some other made up story.

I've just reported it online. I wasn't going to bother but reading through so many incidents where women have been assaulted while swimming has made me realise we do need not to just accept these things.

I am a very experienced swimmer, I know that pools attract their fair share of creeps/angry men but I have never experienced a blatant assault like this where I have been forced and held under the water. It was horrible.

I agree that it is never younger or faster male swimmers that behave ridiculously in pools, it is nearly always older or middle aged slower swimmers who seem more interested in what other people are doing (usually women) than actually swimming.

With years of experience, I am very aware that the intention of a few men is to interrupt your training, stop you training, draw attention to themselves, etc and by not letting them do that you score a small victory over them. It really frustrates them. My heart was thumping for the rest of the swim, this actually made me swim a little faster than usual.

If someone collided with me when swimming is not be that happy about it

I'd be annoyed, too, but that doesn't mean I'd start shouting about it, nor pushing anyone under the water. But it doesn't sound like an accidental collision anyway.

I'd still speak to the police either way despite the fact you didn't suffer injury. You were assaulted in a swimming pool.

This man (still can't believe I'm reading this) shoved your head under water and knew what he was doing). An inexperienced swimmer may have had difficulties. If he'd punched or shoved your head in the swimming pool out of the water then you'd report him for assault, wouldn't you? At best, both police and management of pool would have a word with him about his behaviour. But he could've done this before, had previous for GBH/ABH etc. You don't know.

It's even more important (as you say you spoke to someone at the pool who'd suffered similar incident) that you report this to pool management too, owners, council, take it to the top. Men should NOT be allowed to keep doing this for fun. As you say, he didn't seem like a serious swimmer. Not to say he isn't a swimmer but he might be retired/unable to work/has enough money not to work and this is his way of getting his kicks. I'd be escalating this to a local newspaper (the kind that also has a FB/Social media presence).

Glad you reported it, OP. Really sorry to see the victim blaming on this thread, and the repeated "are you sure it wasn't a collision".

OP, I am so sorry this happened to you, and I am glad that you reported it. I am a regular swimmer, and I know that if swimmers accidentally bump into each other, there are usually profuse apologies, reassurances that each party is all tight and then the swimmers continue as normal. The incident that you describe is very different.

You were assaulted physically, in a place where you were very vulnerable and in which there are huge health and safety risks. Furthermore, people often swim because they have underlying health conditions. I swim because I have a respiratory condition, and I never put my head underwater because I have a panic reaction if I cannot breathe. This man knew nothing about you or the potential consequences of pushing you underwater.

You have done the right thing in reporting this. I hope this does not put you off swimming, and I hope this man is banned. He is dangerous.

Doesn’t anyone remember this? It wasn’t that long ago!

Woman’s Hour item on a very similar incident at a swimming pool

Yes report - to police and to the centre (with a complaint about how it was handled). And ignore users stating you should have swam somewhere else. That is victim blaming rubbish. You used a swim lane appropriately and did NOT deserve to be assulted as a result.

Yeah, I never realised just how bad internalised misogyny is in the UK until I started reading women's comments on Mumsnet.

If any journalists are looking on this thread, I'm happy to talk to them about the incident to publicise this issue. It seems far too common and should be highlighted.

Omg, he tried to bloody drown you and verbally abused you. Go to the police! Report the life guard also.

Good for you, OP. It's only when women start loudly speaking out about this crap that it will be finally stopped.

Thanks for reporting it op. It's awful what he did and he could get worse in future. I agree there's a lot of internalised misogyny on mumsnet and elsewhere. Some posters will be men as well.

Yes, you could have used other lanes when the pool was otherwise empty, but at the same time THIS MAN PUSHED YOU UNDER THE WATER ON PURPOSE! That is NOT OKAY!
I'd report this to the pool management, and if you're not satisfied with the response, take it to the police and/or your local paper.

My mum swims lengths weekly at her local pool, and if someone did that to her, I'd be absolutely furious. I'd be hunting that guy down and knocking his teeth out.

Op said she couldn't as there were inflatables out I think

It's not an uncommon scenario. Have you seen how many women have reported low-level harassment, or men trying to strike up conversations with them for which they are expected to be grateful whilst they're swimming and simply want to be left alone? Women do not owe men our attention simply because they choose to demand it. We're also not compelled to get out of the way immediately when a man is approaching and assumes right of way.

I've swum 1-2 miles per week for years and you can take it from me it's by no means an infrequent occurrence.

I know what they're for.

In both cases stated here the person could've drowned.

OP I'm sorry people on the thread seem bizarrely invested in gaslighting you / implying you're lying?!

Fuck me, it's depressing.

I'm sorry, too. These people absolutely fucking sicken me.

It should come as no consolation that siding with male abusers and claiming their victims are either liars or have an active imagination will do nothing to protect these apologists when the chips are down. Helping to maintain the status quo of the patriarchy won't stop you falling foul of the patriarchy. Men like SwimThug hate women. They don't give a shit what you think, whether you support their grim behaviour or otherwise. One day they'll also come for you.

I've had similar experiences but 'Eve Shaming' basically I was swimming/aqua fit class at a local leisure central where lots of Bangladeshi men swim/live.

I had two men approach me at poolside showers, try to get really close to me and then wouldn't move.

In the aqua fit area they were behind the roped off area and were leering and making fun of the class. Really put us off and the instructor tried to tell them off. I tried to speak to centre management who weren't interested really so I just didn't go back. Found it this is cultural and called 'Eve Shaming' mostly in India etc.

OP just to pick up on a comment you made. Although you are justified to be skeptical that the police will take action, given they are representative of the society they serve, I'd just like to clarify
Just because there is no injury makes no difference to it being assault. I'm not legally trained, but assault is assault regardless of whether it left a mark. If it gets into injury and wounds then it goes into GbH and abh, but it's still assault by definition and it's still a criminal act against you.
No one should be minimising that even if it's hard to prove, you know what you experienced regardless of the victim blamers.
Our patriarchal society has a lot to improve, I'd like to say men are the problem but I think the problem also is supported by anyone who is not a feminist.

I've collided with or swum into others, and I've also been pushed under (in fun by people I know and trust)
It feels very different and can't be confused.