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Sex pest targets would-be journalist

Leicestershire Police statistics indicate that indecent exposure is a crime in decline.

Reported incidents fell by half last year.

But Victim Support believe many women are unwilling to report incidents through embarrassment, or fear that they will be ridiculed. Some think it’s not a “serious enough” crime. But information about a “flasher” could be the missing piece in a wider investigation.

A 30-year-old woman on work experience with the Leicester Mercury, after completing a post graduate journalism course, wrote an emotive piece after a man exposed himself to her in a city underpass at 8.15am.

The Mercury turned Linda Steelyard’s first-person piece into a full page feature on page five which included advice from police and Victim Support.

She wrote: “It’s difficult to put into words the shock and fear wich gripped me when I realised what was happening.

“There was nobody else around. What if he ran after me? Would anybody hear me shout if I needed help? The terrible images of what could happen passed through my mind.

“After a brief wave of panic the desire to get away took over…When I was far enough away to stop feeling scared, I felt angry – at him for subjecting me to his replusive behaviour and at myself for allowing it to intimidate me.

“I began to wonder how people would react when I told them.

“Would they by sympathetic? Or laugh and start whistling the Benny Hill theme tune? Maybe I should just keep quiet…”

Linda’s brave decision not to keep quiet may encourage other victims to come forward in future. But at the end of her article she admitted that she’ll be driving or catching the bus into work in future and will not be able to enjoy the freedom to walk into town in the daytime again without worrying what’s around the corner.

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