Emsworth woman 'disgusted' by flasher who followed her before exposing himself and performing a sex act along footpath

The woman was walking along Horndean Road, in Emsworth, at 10am on Wednesday, May 12, when she realised she was being followed by a stranger.

The Emsworth resident said: ‘From the corner of my left eye I saw a tall, overweight, caucasian man dressed in black hiding in the corner of the wall.

‘I briefly saw he was wearing dark-framed glasses, a black face mask, and he had his hood up covering his head.

I instantly felt cautious and wary of this man, just by the way he was trying to hide in the corner.

‘I walked on quickly and turned to see if he was following me, which he was.

‘When he saw me turn to look at him he stopped in the middle of the cycle path.’

The man then started touching himself.

She said she was left ‘disgusted’ and afraid by the encounter, with the man exposing himself in broad daylight along the public footpath.

She said: ‘My initial reaction was disgust followed by fear, as I realised I was on my own in a secluded area with no-one else around.

‘I quickly turned and walked on, trying not to give him the attention that he wanted, I kept checking behind me to see if he was still following me.

‘I feel very grateful that he wasn't violent and didn’t attack me and that it didn't escalate into anything more sinister, as you hear so many awful news stories about young women today.’

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Police patrols in the area have been informed of the incident, according to a spokeswoman from Hampshire Constabulary.

She said: ‘We received a report at 10.46am on Wednesday, May 12 that a man was seen committing an indecent act on Horndean Road, Emsworth between 10am and 10.15am.

‘No-one was harmed. The incident is under investigation.

‘Our local prevention and neighbourhoods team has been made aware for when they are patrolling the area, and we would encourage anyone with further information or concerns to contact us on 101.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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