We’re concerned to learn of a shocking incident last night where a woman was followed then terrorised by an unknown man, causing her alarm and considerable upset. The following are factual extracts from the statement given to police.
Around 7pm last night, Monday 26th February 2018, a local lady residing in Auchinraith Terrace, Springwells was leaving her home, intending to visit her friend further up the same street. As she was leaving her door, she remembered she needed to close her blinds and popped back inside upstairs to shut them. Whilst doing so, she noticed a man outside looking towards her door.
Thinking nothing much of it, the lady then left her house and proceeded to walk the short distance to her friends home a few houses away. A few steps into the short journey, she was aware of the man walking on the other side of the road, clearly shadowing her varying pace.
Followed
With more haste, she made it to her friends door, which is always kept locked in evenings. The lady chapped the door but there was no answer as her friend had looked out and also seen the man, now staring at the house. Now scared as the man approached her, the lady frantically banged her friends door, which opened and the ladies locked the door quickly behind them, safely inside.
Outside, the man continued his approach to the house, through the gate and up the path. Then, the unknown man began aggressively banging on the front door and trying the handle to get in.
Terrorised in house
Inside the frightened ladies turned off the lights so he couldn’t see in. But the situation wasn’t over yet.
The man eventually left the premises and turned his attention on a parked car directly in front of the house, in the street. Looking in the boot window and trying all the handles to get in, his attempts were unsuccessful. As it happened it was the lady’s friends car.
Then after a few moments of rummaging through his pockets, he lifted a bottle in one hand and threatened to smash the car windows, fully aware the ladies were watching. By this time though, they were on the phone to police.
During the break in attempts at the car, he was all the time staring up at the window, fully aware he was being watched. Giving up on the car, he proceeded back through the gate and continued banging on the door, rapidly trying the handles again! He then went back out and leaned on the car staring up at the house. Police arrived quickly within 10 minutes, but the man, knowing fine well the police would have been called, had already moved off and away.
Police Description
The man, unknown to the ladies was fairly tall, about 6ft, and was wearing a white jacket (sort of ‘plastic’ bin bag material) that was black at the shoulders and arms but mostly white. He had a black beanie hat on and black jogging bottoms also of a similar shiny material. He also had dark stubble. It is unknown what state of mind he was in.
The incident has left the lady and their families alarmed and asking for police to do all they can to catch this person. Incidents of this nature are thankfully rare and the description is very similar to the man arrested later that evening. Police will be patrolling Springwells this evening.
With thanks to the family, who wish to remain anonymous for sharing this story in the hope of creating awareness of this individual.
What you should do if you think you’re being followed.
- Call the Police. Don’t wait. Do it.
- Get somewhere Public.
- Don’t Panic
