Has anybody else been followed by a random stranger?

[Godxilla]

I was in a mall when I saw a bloke in front of me, he kept on looking at me intently. I thought, "freak", as you do and stared back at him. Thinking nothing of it, I perused TX Maxx, purchasing a couple of items (after waiting patiently in a very long queue). I decided to head out of the mall and pop into a supermarket nearby. As I entered the supermarket, I thought I noticed the same man, which I thought was odd. I had a feeling he had followed me. Whilst picking up a few items on my list, I kept an eagle out, but could not spot him, thankfully. Eventually I made my way to the till, and at the opposite till, the man was there;again he turned around to check me. I noticed he was purchasing croissants only (in my gut I felt that that purchase was a cover, and I thought to myself, nobody would do this would they?) I was going to the exit of this supermarket, and this man was in front of me, and I made sure I checked out whether he would turn left or right. He turned left, and he made his way that way, so I turned right (which was the way I needed to go). I was marching along and I noticed footsteps behind me and then a presence next to me; it was that man, walking alongside me. I got really pissed off, i stopped (he did also) and faced him. He smiled at me (I had a stony expression-so I think). I said "are you following me". He got a little flustered and said he thought he knew me (which I knew was complete bullshit). He then walked away from me. I walked to the car park quickly and checked I wasn't followed which I wasn't.
Anyway, this was in a town, full of hustle and bustle, during the day ; who and why would someone have the audacity to do this? They picked the wrong woman (even though I was feeling a little agitated). In retrospect, he was scanning my ever move which creeps me out. I don't think he expected me to stop and confront him but I do wish I had said more. Should i have taken a photo and reported him? I feel a little guilty now that he may feel free to do this to another woman (perhaps younger and/or vulnerable women.)

Followed on my way home from a night out in a busy city centre. Got to the point where I approached a young couple waiting for a taxi and asked if I could stand with them until the weirdo fucked off. They were really nice and the weirdo did indeed bugger off when he saw I had company.

Yes, several times when I was a teenager. One guy when I was 15 trailed me all through the shopping centre, until finally coming up to me and asking to go get a drink with him. I said no, I'm only 15, he said oh that's ok, I don't mind (had that a few times as an even younger teenager, "Oh, I don't mind" when telling them I was only 13, 14 etc). He then proceeded to continue to follow me closely all through 're shops, and only stopped when I went up to a woman with a pushchair and asked her if She could pretend to know me.

Yep. Was walking the dog along the very busy riverbank at my mum's and realised this guy was following me, looked behind a couple of times to confirm it and he backed off. Took a route away from the riverbank to head back which loops back down onto the riverbank further back and coming down onto it I could see this guy hiding in the bushes presumably waiting for me to make a return trip along my previous route.

Ddog would have been bog all use as a protector, he was as soft as anything that guy!

I was followed down a country lane as I walked from my house to a friends when I was 13. To get to theirs I had to climb over a gate with a private property sign in and walk across their back field. He followed, and as I quickened my pace he did too. I turned to look at him, he stopped but when I started to run he ran too. I did make it to my friends house, she was gone alone so we rang my dad to come over. The man stood outside staring at the house for some minutes until we heard my dads car pull up, then the man turned and walked quickly away.

My dad was raging, bundled me and my friend into the car, and we went off looking for the man. We found him outside a neighbours house. Dad had him pinned against the wall, bellowing at him about following teenage girls and what the hell did he think he was doing. He had some feeble excuse about wanting to see where I was going. Dad told him in no uncertain terms it was none of his fucking business where I went, but he’s certainly make it his business if that man ever did something so stupid again. I can remember being in awe of my dad; for believing me and sticking up for me, and also putting the fear of god into that man and making him feel the way I did when I was being followed.

Me too. Quite a few times and like others on this thread, mostly in my teens.

Yes, on my way home from school aged 10 I was followed by a man on a bike who made sexually inappropriate comments to me. I ran into a house that belonged to a friend of my Mum’s and lucking she was home and let me in. Again when I was 21 /21 a man would park outside my house and look up at my window every night. He would masturbate some nights. The police were useless “ maybe he’s just a taxi waiting for someone”. I ended up having to move and lose my rental deposit because I was so scared

Sorry, meant to say 20 / 21

Oh and that comment was from a female police officer

had that a few times as an even younger teenager, "Oh, I don't mind" when telling them I was only 13, 14 etc

Yeah that.

"I'm underage"

"Oh, I don't mind"

"Well clearly I do or I wouldn't have told you so why don't you take a hint you predatory creep?"

I said no, I'm only 15, he said oh that's ok, I don't mind

It's like they think you're apologising to them for your age, rather than reminding them that they're inappropriately old/asking you to do inappropriate things for your age.

Yes. Several times.

Only a couple of time as a teenager.

Firstly, when I was about 13/14, I'd been to the cinema with some friends in the city centre. I was waiting for my dad to come pick me up and was in a busy square. From across the square , I noticed an old man staring at me, or in fact specifically staring at my chest (which was very flat). I walked to the other side of the square and he was still staring and began to follow. This happened a couple of times. Luckily my dad turned up after not too long, but I got in the car with my heart racing and crying - oddly, I remember my dad not seeming too concerned. It was just the intensity of the staring; I've previously googled the city I was living in and looked for descriptions of a similar man because he was so clearly a predator.

Other incidents were again as a teenager, doing things like hanging round shisha bars when I was too young to really be there, attracting old perverts. I remember once feeling so uncomfortable at a man trying to call me over and strike up conversation that I burst into tears in the toilets and forced my friends to leave. But I was lucky that I had sensible friends with me.

Nowadays I live in a very rural area, and the thought has gone through my mind of what if my car ever broke down in the middle of nowhere. I hate how being a woman makes me feel vulnerable.

I'm not scared of men because I've read something in the papers as one poster said I'm scared of men because I've been raped assaulted beaten threatened had someone expose themselves to me the list is endless I've even had some one follow me in the middle of the day on the canal path he was so close he was breathing in my hair I'm fortunate someone came along but its ridiculous how we are expected to put up with it no one was interested even when I was raped the questions were you drinking were you drunk have you had an argument with him was he your boyfriend I lived in a bed sit st the time and apparently having a man in a room with a bed in it might have given him a wrong impression I gave up what's the point

Yes, a few times. Scariest was when I was pregnant and a guy on a bicycle followed me trying to strike up a conversation - we weren’t far from my flat and I had nowhere to hide so he saw where I lived and turned up outside on his bike every day for a week or so.

Yes. In particular when I was late teens/early 20s, there were so many flashers and run-of-the-mill street perverts, I was on constant alert, but generally they didn’t persist once you’d swerved them (sometimes I’d yell at them if there were enough other people around).

But once I was followed by a man who would not give up - it was in a very busy city shopping street, I tried to swerve him, but he kept at it, only a few yards behind me and with a really weird expression on his face. It was scary and I didn’t know what to do. Eventually I went into a large department store - he followed - I went up to a sales woman and told her what was happening, pointed me to the man who was lurking by a display. She was brilliant - she believed me, no fuss or drama, she whisked me away and let me out of the staff entrance and I buggered off home sharpish. Horrible experience.

I didn’t think of finding a police officer at the time because a) I didn’t see any around and b) more importantly, it was in another country and my residency status was, umm, ‘irregular’

this is bit vague, but the most scary time. As a student, three men essentially fanned out around me, one behind, one in front, the third remaining over the road...during the day,

guy on my course came out of side street, I think he was actually going the other way to start with, started talking to me and escorted me to uni. Only time in 3 years he talked to me.

It happened to me twice the year before last near my old flat, both times, young black men (which seems to be a different experience to most of the older white men experiences here). Both times eventually I turned around and asked them what they wanted and they both asked me out. Both times I was absolutely furious and told them to fuck off, not to follow women down the street and how would they like it if someone did that to their sisters / mothers. Maybe I shouldn’t have yelled at them but it did make them both leave

I moved shortly after that anyway and feel much safer where I am now

Multi-story car park, ended up being chased and ran the wrong way (further in). It was very quiet. I was terrified. But a security guard showed up and escorted me out to a busier street. It was over thirty years ago. I haven’t used them alone since.

Seems such a common experience which is very sad

Sounds very scary. Perhaps trying to steal your bag? What were you buying? Anything expensive.? Sorry to be nosy. Just wondering why someone could be like that.

He could be like that because he enjoys it when he is able to intimidate and frighten women

I fear for my daughter, growing up in a world where men like this think they can do whatever the fuck they want

Oh dear this happened to my sister and me when we were in our late teens. I honestly thought it was an unusual experience. I still think about it often, it's terrifying isn't it? To hear that it's so common and that police (esp female officers) are so dismissive is so so sad

I've had this quite a few times as unfortunately I'm 24 with the face of a 17 year old.

When I was walking home from the shop (about a 2 minute walk) a guy flashed me and asked 'if ya want a go love' and I was so freaked by it I ended up going into an office on the corner of my road and asking if I could sit there until I could see they had gone (could see them from the window).

Another time I was very pregnant and in Tesco. Guy spotted my but I was in a baggy coat and kept trying to ask if I lived nearby and if I was okay (I was just trying to shop). He followed me down every isle and when I tried to ditch him suddenly needed the same cheese I was trying to reach (I'm a shortie). As I tried to reach my bump showed and suddenly he was REALLY interested in whether I had a boyfriend or if I was going to be a single parent as he reckons he'll be 'a really alright dad'. It got to the point where I was trying to use the self checkout and he was right next to me. I ended up calling my friend who came and got me (she lived a few minutes away thankfully) and she was freaked too. I've seen him lurking in the same shop since and he gives me the creeps.

And yesterday was another one. I live alone and have just DS with me at the end of a little cul de sac with an alleyway at the end. A lot of people use this as a cut through. I was in the kitchen in the evening with the blind open and two guys walking in the same direction stopped to chat outside the window. DS was in bed so I stayed in the kitchen to keep an eye out and got on with the washing up. They were there for 30 minutes before I called a friend and told her. After seeing me clearly on the phone for quite a while they buggered off but it's still freaky!

I hate being a woman sometimes, especially one with a younger face.