Oh look, the police are being shit again (TW: Sexual harassment))

[WeaselCheeks]

Article from a BBC journalist who was repeatedly called by a pervert who made sexually obscene comments and insults whilst masturbating.

It took two years of her constantly fighting for information, updates and asking for a victim review for the culprit to get to court and be convicted.

Initially the police failed to investigate. Then they found the perpetrator, but he kept avoiding their visits, and the police said they had no reason to arrest him. After pressure from the victim, the police arrested him, but he claimed it wasn't him, claimed he'd lost his phone, and the police said it'd be too hard to prosecute.

Eventually, after pressure from the victim, it went through to the courts, and he was found guilty. After his conviction, it was revealed he'd been convicted nearly ten years previously of making 15,000 obscene calls within a three month period.

So my question is... how do we fix this? Is it police underfunding, or a societal lack of giving a shit about women's safety, or a tendency to minimise this kind of offence as it's not physical? Or a bit from each column? Because, as Ms Manning says, she had to fight the police every step of the way, and how many victims don't (because they shouldn't have to)?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgwp4059xgo

I think it is, as you say, a bit of each.
Her BBC article is absolutely horrifying. I really despair for the way she was treated and can only admire her determination and bravery in pursuing this case. She had the time, resources and the tenacity to see this through, my heart goes out to women who are not in the same position although I fail to see why they should have to do this.
I hope the details of the police responses, or lack of them, exposes and shames them but I'm cynical about it leading to meaningful change.

Well done to the BBC for sharing the video of the criminal, do we know what sentence he was given?
*shakes head, sorrowfully

Furious on her behalf. I'd take a hammer to his nuts.

Everyone needs to read this article.

How many of the police just don't want to do their jobs (or feel they don't have the resources, which isn't an excuse for all the lying and lack of action here)?

Well done to Lucy Manning for pursuing this. But this article really makes me despair - the police sound totally uninterested in pursuing this crime, but for her efforts.

I don't know if I would have as much tenacity as Lucy to persist in getting a conviction? Maybe that's what the police hope, that women give up?

As for the man, stick his balls in a vice. Disgusting specimen.

I was assaulted by a a man who was a complete stranger 5 years ago. I managed to get a good photograph of him as he stumbled away.
I waited over a week for the police to come and take a statement and a copy of the photo, having phoned them multiple times to ask when they were coming. All the while, I was trying to keep the details accurate in my head, when I just wanted to forget and move on.

When the police finally came, a man on his own he kept watering down the details as I gave him them and I had to keep correcting him.

I was phoned about two hours later to say they weren't pursuing the case.

Well done to that woman for having the tenacity to keep pressing. A week of dealing with the police was enough for me.

What confuses me is the time someone kicked a wing mirror off my car and I reported it in case there'd been a pattern, I wasn't expecting it at all and was embarrassed that the police came round that day for something so trivial. In addition I was offered victim support?! Whereas after the assault........ Nothing.

It's three things: Lack of training, lack of resources and lack of respect for women.

I do wonder if it's luck of the draw. I had a bike stolen which I managed to track down - the thief took it to a relative to sell in another county (which from his online sales was a common occurrence). My local police force did fuck all, the one where the stolen bikes were being sold did better - they got my bike back, but said that they couldn't proceed without my local force doing their bit.

They did not do their bit. Despite the fact I'd handed them the case on a platter, they assigned it to an officer on long term sick leave. I kept badgering and they sent a junior officer to interview the thief three months later, by which point he said he couldn't remember where he got the bike from. They accepted that and said, "He didn't look like a bike thief".

It was fucking infuriating over a stolen bike, the idea that they're as fucking useless over sexual predation is extremely depressing. At the time, I took solace in the notion that they were over-stretched and that stolen property wasn't as high priority as violent or sexual crimes and that they were busy with those. But the more I hear about how the police handle those cases...

Ugh.

I'm so sorry for what you went through.