Fareham residents left 'scared' by shocking rape on town centre footbridge this weekend

As reported, officers were called after a 22-year-old woman said she had been attacked near Fareham train station between 1.30am and 2.45am on Saturday morning (March 19).

She reported that she was walking along West Street in Fareham when a man unknown to her approached her.

The man then threatened her before attacking her in the area of a footbridge that goes over Western Way, close to Fareham train station.

The next day, residents passing the scene were left shocked by the incident – and called for more to be done to keep people safe walking at night.

Mehnoor Asif, who was visiting Fareham from Portsmouth, told The News: ‘I wouldn’t feel safe at 2am. I wouldn’t feel safe anywhere past 11.30pm, even in Portsmouth.

‘I think we have become complacent to being worried at night.

‘You should be able to walk around without feeling unsafe.’

In the wake of the Sarah Everard case last year, Metropolitan Police advise that women threatened in public should try to flag down any passing buses was ‘ridiculous’, according to Mehnoor, who said that there should be ways for people to alert the police in instances where mobile phone is impossible.

She added: ‘Maybe some kind of public alarm or button that directly notifies the nearest police station could help.’

Libby Pink, an 18-year-old Fareham resident, said even walking a short distance in the town centre late at night leaves her parents concerned.

She said: ‘I was out last night for my friend’s birthday, I walked just from Slug and Lettuce to the McDonalds in the town centre and my mum said I shouldn’t do that.

‘I feel safe, but you do get the odd weirdo – I have had men approach me and try to chat me up.’

Commenting on the incident this weekend, she said: ‘I feel the police just shrug it off – sometimes they don’t do as much as they could.

‘It’s scary – but I wouldn’t think twice about going for a night out.’

Kim Alexander, a 15-year-old Henry Cort School student, agreed. ‘I usually feel safe around here, but I would feel safer in the day than the night,’ she said.

‘My friend worries about things like this a lot. It would be helpful if there were more police patrols.’

The victim of the attack this weekend is being supported by specially trained officers, according to a spokesman from Hampshire Constabulary.

The man who approached her is described as white, aged between late twenties and early thirties, approximately 5ft 11in tall, with as slim build and a full beard that was blonde and grey in colour.

Detective Constable Steve Finnis from Hampshire Constabulary’s operation amberstone team said: ‘Officers are carrying out extensive enquiries to ascertain the exact circumstances and we would like to appeal to anyone who was in the vicinity in the early hours this morning to get in touch.’

Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact the police on 101 quoting reference number 44220109191.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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