Woman horrifically attacked for turning down advances from a stranger at tube station

[PhoenixJasmine]

www.itv.com/news/2017-03-18/tourist-attacked-in-london-reveals-horrific-injuries/

Just saw this - absolutely horrendous. That a man can be so angry at being rejected he can do this to a woman - a stranger - in a public place in the middle of the evening. The sense of entitlement is mind boggling.

Someone must know who he is. I sincerely hope he is found and receives an appropriate sentence. He could easily have killed her.

This is very odd. It sounds to me like he was under the influence of something .

If he's found, no doubt he will get off on some technicality. The law these days is a joke, there's always a lawyer willing to mitigate for the indefensible.

I hope they catch him. Scum.

Can you imagine trying to defend someone who had done this? Either he was in control of his actions (under the influence of drugs or not) and should go to prison, or he wasn't and is a danger to the public and should receive treatment in a secure hospital.

I was assaulted (nowhere near as severe as this) in a corner shop at 8am in the morning in front of 10 members of the public, by a stranger who perceived a slight from me. He was about a foot taller and a lot heavier than me, definitely physically superior. His defence in court was that he was in a rush and I pushed him first. That meant it was ok to attack me, apparently.

Some men are just that arrogant to think they can do stuff like this to women and get away with it.

I just hope he's caught and sentenced properly.

And some men think street harassment is complimentary. Every woman knows, beyond a shadow of doubt, that it is exactly this which makes us think twice about telling them to fuck off.

Horrible.

Some men are just that arrogant to think they can do stuff like this to women and get away with it

That's because generally speaking they can.

I am so sorry to drag this back to trans issues, but it is why it pisses me off that

• there is all this fuss about violence to trans women when violence against women is so prevalent and has been part of the landscape for freaking years and shapes who we are as women and how we live our lives.
• trans women are doing nothing to highlight violence towards women and nothing to highlight that this is an issue of sexed violence - men are violent to women.
• in some trans discourses aspects of violence towards women, such as everyday street harassment, is being re-coded as complimentary because some trans women think it affirms their femininity.
• the trans discourse is placing women at more risk of violence by making spaces for men in the few places that women have that might offer some safety.
• the trans discourse is not challenging the gendering of men and women that is partly responsible for men's violence.

YetAnotherSpartacus you shouldn't have derailed the thread and you're not sorry, or you wouldn't have done it. It's completely unnecessary.

trans women are doing nothing to highlight violence towards women and nothing to highlight that this is an issue of sexed violence - men are violent to women. How can you possibly speak for all transwomen? The transwomen I know campaign passionately against violence towards women.
What happened to this women is appalling. It's nothing to do with trans women.

Yeah, you are right, I'm not sorry in essence. I do see a connection between on-going violence against women that is simply accepted (see also the thread about the woman who was not believed by the police) and a major moral panic over violence towards trans women. I also don't know any trans women who campaign against violence against women - unless they are trans.

Take it as being from a long time feminist and activist who has just had enough of the ongoing violence towards women and the tacit social accpetance of this as 'just part of being a woman'.

Fucking horrific!

There are bound to have been CCTV cameras and witnesses in that area. I'd be amazed if there are neither.

This is very odd. It sounds to me like he was under the influence of something .

Some men are just that entitled.

Although this episode is not connected to trans, the trans rhetoric does require the minimising of male violence to women in order for it to work properly.

So when you see such a graphic example as in the OP, you can't help it triggering that issue at the same time.

It was 8pm on a Friday and she's black and blue - where are the witnesses?

Although this episode is not connected to trans, the trans rhetoric does require the minimising of male violence to women in order for it to work properly

Yes, that is what I was getting at Datun, thank you. There is the individual case here, which is shocking on one level, and not on others, I suppose, given that I've seen so many similar stories over the years. Each one is shocking, but also very common. Add them to stories of women who are victims of domestic violence and violence against women becomes part of the everyday - something we live with the threat of and accept on some levels.

In the bigger picture, discourses of violence shape how we see violence and the trans rhetoric is dangerous here.

YetAnotherSpartacus eek, I am definitely gender critical but derailing into complaining about 'trans rhetoric' within 10 posts with sweeping a generalisation about what trans women do or not do is completely playing into the hands of those who would like to paint this board as a load of transphobic hatemongers, there was just no need, there's a billion other trans threads you could have expressed that worry on, without the jarring generalisation as well. Whilst I understand your frustration and share (most of) your point of view, I don't think raising it here is going to help in any way at all. It's almost as bad as "what about the menz" but in the opposite way

Some men are just that entitled

Yup, when I was being looked after by the police immediately after my attack, I was desperately trying to rationalise why my attacker did it - I honestly assumed he was either high or had mental health issues, and that pursuing prosecution would help him get the support he needed. My instincts were to minimise and rationalise what happened, not accept that he was violent to me because he saw it as his right to be. I was blabbering away in this vein to the PC taking my statement, and she sighed at me very sympathetically and said "oh, love. Some men are just dicks".

where are the witnesses?

3 shop staff and 7 members of the public saw what happened to me. None of them came forward to support me. One shop assistant even let him jump the queue and served him so he could leave the shop quicker, no one responded when I asked people to call the police - literally had blank faces staring at me - people walked past me as I was sat on the ground hyperventilating and crying waiting for the police to arrive (to their credit it was minutes). It was just so accepted that either this kind of thing happens or it wasn't any of their business.

Back to what happened to this woman - she was a guest in our country, I wish we could get a message of support to her. I note that she wants her name to remain confidential but the photo to be publicised - I massively applaud her for that, the general public needs to see shocking images like this and hear the stories of violence against women. This is happening every day. Well done for coming forward and allowing the photo to be shared. I guess if anyone has social media accounts (don't use fb or twitter at the moment) then sharing the story in support might help.