Shrewsbury woman claims harassment in park

A woman who was followed by a man while walking praised the police response.

Nicky Clark, 58, said she was enjoying a walk through Shrewsbury’s Quarry Park on a misty afternoon when she looked down and noticed a bicycle tire was at her level.

She said the man was just inches away and wouldn’t leave her alone until she turned to another stranger and pretended he was a close friend.

Clark said she felt she had risked “embarrassment” by calling the police, but the call handler made her feel immediately understood.

The encounter began when the cyclist approached her unexpectedly.

“I stopped and looked up, and inches from me was this guy. He was very close to my face and there was something in his eyes that was scary,” she said.

To escape, he ran towards another walker.

“I lowered my voice and said ‘you don’t know me, but there was a guy there and he was actually pretty scary,'” he said.

“It was a very sweet moment because he immediately took me very seriously.”

Ms Clark said that while she was not injured or assaulted, the incident was deeply disturbing.

“I was walking and crying because I was so angry, you know? I don’t know what that guy’s intentions were, but he had scared me, he had intimidated me,” she said.

“It took away my peace of mind.”

She added that the West Mercia Police call operator took her seriously immediately.

“She was very compassionate, very kind and understanding; I didn’t have to explain, I didn’t have to justify or rationalize any of the reasons I had for calling.

“They didn’t make me feel stupid.”

She has documented her experience on social media, highlighting that harassment can affect women of any age and urging others to take incidents more seriously.

In particular, she hopes more people can be like the second stranger she met that day, who offered her support and a way out.

“I know the guy who was there, who supported me, who was kind and helpful,” Mrs. Clark said.

“That’s what we need to see more of: men calling out the behavior of (other) men and men being able to recognize where women are afraid.”

Sergeant Gary Lansdale, of West Mercia Police, told the BBC that his officers “understand the distress and worry that feeling unsafe can cause and we want to offer them peace of mind.”

She added that while “fortunately on this occasion no one was hurt, all incidents of harassment are taken seriously and we want to know about them.”