Trigger warning - avoiding sexual attack questions - how you feel safe walking alone when you hear a local man is hiding naked in woodlands?

[IMakeDealsWithTheDevil]

I have a dog and have to go out daily. We have a situation locally where a man has been seen naked in woodlands in several local areas recently. There was another similar news item a few months back.

On Facebook a lot of men are making jokes about it but I am actually very worried. Several murders have taken place within a 40mile radius of where we live that have been female lone dog walkers, two of the murderers we know had been being sexually deviant up to the murders, showing genitalia etc.

I find the story has landed very differently with the women on the village group with many of us worried but the men thinking it's "just a nudist" or making jokes.

It's really affecting how relaxed I am on my walks and where I am walking. I've been thinking today how I would get attention if I was jumped or what I should carry with me or how I should act to put them off. Is it still the best advice to talk to them about their mum if they try to rape you? Biting? Poking eyes? What do you carry with you?

I really hope I am not coming across as crazy but I knew one of the women who was murdered personally and I am finding this very triggering. I think there should be some police led safety advice in the area.

I can’t imagine the police would ever feel confident making that kind of statement to be honest, you can never say anybody poses absolutely no risk.

So what is the difference?
Exposing genitalia in public areas is the same just if you do it on a street you get arrested, not on a public footpath?

Again, wandering around naked in the woods is different to deliberately exposing themselves with the intention of causing distress.

Op, keep to areas you feel safe and get a personal alarm.

It isn’t clear what his motive is, it could easily be either.

I carry a maglite torch (a big 3 battery one) and deep heat spray. Not convinced they would help but makes me feel slightly more comfortable.

No, I am not in that village.

I don't understand how the police can just say "oh yes, guys doing that in one place are a sexual predator, but in a secluded place with no witnesses we just let them be".

We know what happens when women say things have happened when there are no witnesses. If they are still alive to tell anyone.

You don't know the difference between a sexual predator flashing, and a naturalist (or person with mental health difficulties) wandering around naked in a woodland? Really?

Indecent exposure is the criminal offence you're thinking of. To secure a conviction for it you would have to prove that the man is exposing himself with the intention of causing alarm and distress.

Simply being naked anywhere in public and going about your normal business isn't illegal in this country. Obviously most people don't do this but there are lots of nudist walking groups, nudist beaches and campsites, there are naked bike rides every year in my city, so clearly there are some people for whom it holds an appeal.

I think most women would be pretty alarmed to see a naked bloke when alone in the woods tbh.

The issue is that it needs to be 'beyond reasonable doubt' and somebody saying so doesn't meet this criteria.

Who on earth would have the confidence to say that a naked man who lurks in woodland doesn't mean any harm?

If it is so "normal" to see naked men in woodlands, why are kids not taught this at primary school - of which there is one nearby.

But you can't just assume that he's going to carry out a crime when there's no evidence that hes doing anything criminal!

If he flashes someone, the Police response will no doubt change. But right now he's just a bloke that for whatever reason is wandering around naked in the woods minding his own business.

Who else who hasn't committed any crimes should we get the Police to arrest just in case?

Are you near a major city? 2 murders is a lot!

So yes, the police need an attack of some sort to happen, just to stop a man doing this? It has to escalate before someone says harm has been done.

Cyberflashing is illegal, right?

I'm wondering if you're in my county - two lone female dog walkers have been murdered in the region over the past couple of years. I used to take my dogs through local woodland without thinking about it - but now I'm far more wary.
About a year ago I was followed in the woods, by a man who had been sitting in his car when I arrived, and then suddenly appeared behind me, then veered off the path, only to appear in front of me a few minutes later. He had no dog, was wearing all black, a cap & had a rucksack - I was actually v scared despite having 2 large-ish dogs with me. I turned round & hot-footed it back to car. I even thought of reporting - his behaviour was off - but I honestly didn't feel I would be taken seriously.
It's awful that women have to live in fear like this - YANBU. I would be v alarmed at a naked man in the woods!

If I see a man's genitals that I don't know unexpectedly and without asking, I count that as flashing.

I don't think anyone's said it's normal OP (it's not) but if you want the police to do anything you're going to need to prove that he's acting illegally. At the moment, being naked in public isn't illegal.

Unless he's doing things like trying to interact with people, following them, pestering etc which would start to amount to indecent exposure or harassment, then there's probably not a lot the police can do.

If he's minding his own business and leaving people alone, he's probably within the law.

You might but the law does not.

100% agree with your fears. Having grown up in an area near bushes, parks and bridleways/tracks and fields, there have been many incidents of sexual assault and one murder in my area. When I had smaller dogs I would never have gone in the areas I walk now with my much larger and more protective dog. It’s one reason I’d never have another small dog as I like to get out into nature and I need that protection.

Simply walking round naked and not aroused and not bothering or engaging others wouldn't necessarily be a crime.

Unfortunately yes because while his behaviour is weird & unsettling, he hasn’t actually committed a crime so this is currently not a police issue.

While I do understand how you feel, we really don’t want to get to a point where the police start punishing as if a crime has been committed when it hasn’t because where does that end?

@dontmalbeconmeI find your post totally insulting.

I imagine you would need quite a lot of police officers to be a 'presence' if it's happening over a large wooded area. If there's one carpark, everyone uses, it's not so difficult. Police being aware may simply mean they have heard that this man has been seen without people actually reporting anything illegal.