Portsmouth police banish 'strange' male 'predator' making 'concerning approaches' to women in Guildhall Walk

Officers on patrol in Guildhall Walk on Friday night observed the pest ‘behaving strangely’ before he tried to avoid cops by attempting to hide himself in a small group of women.

The Hilsea team on patrol were then informed the man had been a nuisance to women throughout the evening in the area.

‘He was spoken with and door staff informed us that he had been behaving strangely around females, approaching them and generally behaved in a manner that was concerning,’ a police post on social media said.

‘He was obstructive when officers spoke with him, a number of options were considered.’

Officers then dished out a section 35 dispersal notice to the nuisance man – a tactic normally used to stop groups of anti-social yobs from entering an area.

‘(It was) decided that the most appropriate action would be to issue him with a Section 35 dispersal notice that will keep him out of the area of Guildhall Walk for 48 hours,’ the post said.

Police then stuck the boot into male predators who prey on women during nights out.

‘We are continuing to patrol pubs and clubs and trying to make sure that women are able to enjoy their nights out without having to tolerate predatory behaviour from males,’ the post added.

‘We work closely with our licensing officers and the venues to make sure people who go out have a safe and enjoyable evening.’

SEE ALSO: Man attempts to lure girl, 11, into sex

The incident comes after police released a statement on Friday revealing an 18-year-old woman was sexually assaulted near the Cenotaph in Guildhall Square early on New Year’s Day – with a picture released of a man they are hunting.

Pub landlords, speaking in a feature in The News last October, said efforts have been made to shed Guildhall Walk’s image as the place ‘not to go’ with it seen as a bit of ‘rough and tumble’.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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