would you know what to do?

[4getmenot]

one of our carers at work came out a clients house the other night and was attacked. As she walked down back street she felt she was being watched and suddenly a man grabbed her, pushed her head into a wall and started licking her face. In a matter of seconds he had ripped her uniform open, her tights and pants off. The girl suddenly remembered something she had seen on tv and poked her fingers in his eyes and ripped her nails down his face. He fell back and she kicked him a number of times, so hard her feet are black with bruises. He got up and ran away. God forbid anyone on here is ever in that situation but use this advice.

[4getmenot]

about right. I often walk home with my keys in hand so i could stab the attacker in the face but id probably be the one getting done

[Dris]

I do that as well 4get -must have read it somewhere-nasty gouge they could cause....

[jd_1984]

I remember hearing a story of a lad who went to high school near to the one I went to. Who, at age 14 beat a burgular who was attempting to climb through the bathroom window, with a hockey stick. Apparantley the burgular tried to counter sue the lad as he sustained a broken arm and severe brusing . Never found out what happened. Its the whole "what would you do if somebody broke in" scenario, which I appreciate is a little off topic.

[Greedyfly]

How awful. But good on her for fighting back. Hope they catch the creep!

[4getmenot]

well we all know what happened to farmer martin when he shot dead a burglar.

[askyourgran]

^^That really was a travesty of justice.

[The.ST]

Women walking alone at night should carry a rape alarm, i hope she is ok, must have been terrified,

[Eve]

After a spate of recent rapes and sex attacks including one on my route from bus to front door when, if I hadn't forgotton something and popped back in the office, I'd have been there round when he attacked, a friend gave me a rape alarm.

She had got one after she was approached then chased after a night out. She has a whistle now too as apparantly people are more likely to take notice of that, like they suggest shouting fire to get attention.

I walk with my keys in my hand now too after tips on a thread I posted on here after I heard about the attacks.

There was an incident outside an old house I lived in where a nurse was stabbed 7 times by a nutter with 2 knives (lived on a ginnel up the side of a park). She fought back and they reckon that scared him into running off. They had it on Crimewatch, even did a reconstruction but never heard they had caught him.

I just don't know how I'd react after a former housemate (didn't know him very well) thought it was funny to leap out of a load of bushes at me late at night in the dark when I was walking home late one night (same ginnel as above). It terrified me - just saw a big guy in a hoodie jumping at me out the bushes as if to attack..I froze, screamed I think, then ran and was trying to get into my house in a complete panic before I realised it was him. It made me seriously rethink how I would react.

[Eve]

That also reminds me. My friend had a session run by the Suzy Lamplugh trust at work recently and they spoke about a safe worker scheme. She mentioned it to me as I, and others, can often be in the office on our own late at night or at weekends.

It was suggested we have a system so that others know when we are in the office alone to make sure we leave safe, just in case something happens.

[MustangLady]

I was in office on my own one time and our office window looked out to a multi-storey carpark. I had a phone call and the person on the other end of phone said they could see me and knew that i was on my own, asked me when i was leaving. I was so scared (can only assume they got the office number from the outside of the building i was in where it was on the signage). I immediately turned off the lights so i couldn't be seen, made sure all the doors were locked and called my mum/dad to come meet me up at the office (gave them a code knock so i knew it was them). I was absolutely petrified, shaking and vowed never the be in office alone again. I had to wait 15 mins and was the longest time ever. Common sense would have been to call police but my head wasn't with me at the time but did report it once parents arrived. Never did stay in the office at night alone ever again.
Your friend was so brave and I do hope she made a full recovery. I don't know what I would have done in her situation. Instinct takes over I suppose, but in my case (being lot less serious position than your friend) I was petrified. Would I have managed to fight back, I don't know... and hopefully something I would never have to know.

[Eve]

That's what worried me, the fear taking over. A few years back I lived on my own in a little flat. The front door (and only way out save jumping out a window a few floors up) went onto a long corridor, bit like a hotel/hall of residence type.

I was woken up one morning by someone trying to get into the flat. Initially in a really freaky way, they were quite slowly pushing the door handle (one on both sides) down and back up again, over and over then would walk up the corridor a bit then back and do it again. Scared the hell out of me, really freaked me out as the doors really weren't that secure and I just didn't know what to do. I was scared about making a phonecall to the police in case they heard me in there so, in the end, waited until they had gone up the corridor to phone. All credit to the police, they had two officers with me in about 10 minutes but they didn't get whoever it was, probably legged it when they heard them coming.

Happened again a couple of times. Trying to get through the letterbox was one time as the doors were designed to automatically open from the inside even if locked so people would try and break in that way.

The flat was only tiny so my bed was right near the front door and no other way out and I was on my own. I'd just be there terrified, trying to be quiet and hoping they would go away.