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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Creepy collection of items by lamppost - WWYD?

51 replies

Powersout · 07/09/2023 19:46

We live on a small lane in a town which gets a lot of foot traffic as its used as a cut through to a local shop. A couple of days ago I noticed a few things on the grass verge next to a lamppost that have been giving me the willies - an old pair of children's trainers (probs about size 9), a pair of black mens pants and a tissue. Got my husband to pick them up with a litter picker to bin them tonight and it was clear the pants were 'soiled' with a white stain.

I feel totally grossed out. This is just around the corner from my house where we live with my primary aged child. My husband said we could call the police - but no crime has been committed! What would you do if anything at all?

OP posts:
Original poster
Powersout · 07/09/2023 22:43

😂 Yes. I struggle with syntax...

OP posts:
Original poster
Powersout · 07/09/2023 22:49

Thanks for your mixed bag of responses. When my husband mentioned calling the police I initially scoffed at him but then started thinking about the Libby Squire documentary I've seen lately - her killer was performing all kinds of sexual acts in public before her murder and the fact that some people reported him assisted in the investigation into her killing.

The items were grouped together - the shoes lined up as a pair and the pants folded next to them. Ugh.

OP posts:
Mygazpachoistoocold · 07/09/2023 22:57

OP your local force may have an online lost and found section. I just answered mine in what I believe is your situation: it's a non-hazardous item, it's in a public place, it's low value and cannot be directly attributed to anyone.
The answer is for you to make reasonable enquiries and if you can't find the owner dispose of the items.

MarigoldMaud · 07/09/2023 23:17

Yeah I would report it just in case, you never know.

Greensleeves · 07/09/2023 23:20

sezzer87 · 07/09/2023 22:23

Op ignore the jokers on the thread. I would report it online just in case it's needed as evidence or is a connection to something else they're investigating. I wouldn't bin it, if bag it and keep it aside for now.

I'm actually quite saddened to read some of the jokers comments. Children are getting sexually abused every minute while you lot are laughing about this. It's not a joke!

Ofgs. "Children are getting abused every minute" but presumably not by a small collection of fly tipped household objects. MN is madder than a box of frogs tonight 🐸😜🐸🤪

Fillette · 07/09/2023 23:24

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

NoSaladThanks · 07/09/2023 23:24

Police? Intel? Black mens pants? ( unsure if black men wear particular pants at this point )
It's like the opening of a midsummer murders episode.

HerrenaHarridan · 07/09/2023 23:31

The guy who assaulted me was convicted due to the Winnie the Pooh kitchen roll I was able to tell them that he had discarded. Literally threw it in the floor and the police retrieved it.

WulyJmpr · 07/09/2023 23:35

This thread 😄

sezzer87 · 07/09/2023 23:47

@Greensleeves

Seriously grow up. Those shoes could belong to a little boy who is being sexually abused, or the pants could belong to someone who might sexually abuse a child later on.
You need your head sorting.

sezzer87 · 07/09/2023 23:49

Powersout · 07/09/2023 22:49

Thanks for your mixed bag of responses. When my husband mentioned calling the police I initially scoffed at him but then started thinking about the Libby Squire documentary I've seen lately - her killer was performing all kinds of sexual acts in public before her murder and the fact that some people reported him assisted in the investigation into her killing.

The items were grouped together - the shoes lined up as a pair and the pants folded next to them. Ugh.

Could have been left there for another pedophile to collect.

Greensleeves · 07/09/2023 23:49

sezzer87 · 07/09/2023 23:47

@Greensleeves

Seriously grow up. Those shoes could belong to a little boy who is being sexually abused, or the pants could belong to someone who might sexually abuse a child later on.
You need your head sorting.

I'm not the one spinning bizarre sexual fantasies out of a pile of random litter...so I would suggest I am not the one in need of psychological intervention here 😂

Greensleeves · 07/09/2023 23:50

I thought the paedophiles were supposed to hide behind the lampposts, not jack off under them

Ellie56 · 08/09/2023 00:25

HectorSalamanca · 07/09/2023 22:14

a pair of black mens pants

Do you mean a pair of men's black pants 😂😂

I probably would call 101. It's pure serial killer material. They could have DNA on their database.

Yes I was wondering how OP knew the pants belonged to a black man. Grin

Itick8outof10boxes · 08/09/2023 10:00

So many kids are abused irl, online and groomed. They are the kids of mothers like you, yet so many twats on here joke about it. Have you considered the fact that your kid might have been abused / will be at some point in their lives?
Some of you bang on about being 'tiger moms' on other threads, what a load of bollocks on here. As someone who was abused as a kid, I find some of you really pathetic, you might want to joke about rape while you're at it. You make me ashamed to be a woman.

Greensleeves · 08/09/2023 11:02

Nobody is laughing at child abuse; we are taking the piss out of the outright fantasism and nonsense being spun out of some random fly tipping. Some of us are also survivors of childhood abuse, and we find this sort of self-indulgent salacious wittering extremely distasteful.

Anotherchristianmama · 08/09/2023 11:12

I was also abused as a child and I think this is peak mumsnet nonsense.

Hufflepods · 08/09/2023 11:15

@sezzer87 Could have been left there for another pedophile to collect.

You're being utterly ridiculous.

ManateeFair · 08/09/2023 11:20

sezzer87 · 07/09/2023 23:49

Could have been left there for another pedophile to collect.

Show quote history

What, like Paedo Freecycle?

sezzer87 · 08/09/2023 11:35

Hufflepods · 08/09/2023 11:15

@sezzer87 Could have been left there for another pedophile to collect.

You're being utterly ridiculous.

I've worked in the child protection sector of the police and have witnessed a lot of horrible cases with pedophile rings and groups online. I think a lot of people are naive to what goes on and that's okay, I wouldn't want everybody knowing as it's a gut wrenching theobromine to live with.

sezzer87 · 08/09/2023 11:35

Gut wrenching *thing to live with. Bloody spellchecker

sezzer87 · 08/09/2023 11:36

Greensleeves · 08/09/2023 11:02

Nobody is laughing at child abuse; we are taking the piss out of the outright fantasism and nonsense being spun out of some random fly tipping. Some of us are also survivors of childhood abuse, and we find this sort of self-indulgent salacious wittering extremely distasteful.

I was sexually abused as a child which is why I chose to work in child protection with the police. All I'm saying is that it might not just be fly tipping and it's worth documenting it with the police just incase. Aren't you for helping to
Combat these issues?

sezzer87 · 08/09/2023 11:38

Greensleeves · 07/09/2023 23:50

I thought the paedophiles were supposed to hide behind the lampposts, not jack off under them

Are you okay?

Angrymum22 · 08/09/2023 11:56

On a slightly different theme my DS was spiked a few months ago. As a result he sustained an injury that needed A&E visit and follow up so had to inform school. I didn’t think it was worth reporting it because he couldn’t remember anything.
school emailed me asking me to report it to the police. Turned out they had had a growing number of pupils in sixth form being spiked and had sought advice from the police. The number of spiking incidents had risen locally from one or two a month to 30+ a week and CID have an active investigation. When I spoke to them they said that it would have been ideal if I’d contacted them at the time so that they could have blood samples done. A&E basically ignored the spiking and said the police wouldn’t be interested. They are and they are very interested in preventing crime.
The police intelligence are interested in everything. My BIL was CID intelligence and he took every bit of info seriously because it may be an obscure piece of the jigsaw.

Missedmytoe · 08/09/2023 12:39

As another poster has said, this could be nothing, but equally it could be something. Like you, I find the proximity of 'used' underwear and children's wear concerning, particularly as the things are lined up.

What did you do in the end?