While cycling in early evening a few weeks ago, a man (probably in his 30s, shaved head, light brown skin tone – appears to live or at least park his car on the estate at the southwest end of Jubilee Street – avoid this area if you’re female!) in a silver car passed far too closely, rolled down his window, and yelled ‘I’m going to f**** you and then kill you’.
I unfortunately ran into him again tonight. I was waiting at the red light to cross Commercial Road and continue on Jubilee Street. There were no cars around when I reached the intersection. He pulled up behind me and began revving his engine and driving forward, forcing me into a busy intersection and then leaning on his horn to intimidate me, honking away despite the fact that the light was still red and I had nowhere I could go. He passed me when the light turned and swerved at me as he did, eventually turning in to the same estate parking lot he turned in to the previous time. This is a street I frequently have to cycle down – I may have to find a new route.
As a female cyclist in London, harassment is the norm. It tends to take a darker turn in Tower Hamlets though, with threats of rape and murder replacing the usual ‘lucky saddle’. Seeing this man twice has been exceptionally scary. I got his registration plate and reported him to the police after the first incident but was told they could not help on such matters.
– Anonymous
Location: 2 Jubilee Street, London, e1, England
EDITOR’S NOTE: I talked with two anti-violence groups in London and they said police SHOULD take this kind of report seriously. “Depending on how she reported initially (either by calling 999 or 101) I’d recommend her reporting another way – i.e. going into the police station or calling 101 if she’d called 999, and making sure the report is taken by getting a CAD number…This may help set up a quicker response by police if this happens again with same perp (as she can then quote the CAD number).”
