Latest news with #AnnaRoberts
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- The Irish Sun
I was flashed by a man in fancy dress & cowered as another masturbated on my train – catcalling pervs are everywhere
Surrey Police's latest campaign hits very close to home for Fabulous' Associate Editor, Anna Roberts SICK MINDS I was flashed by a man in fancy dress & cowered as another masturbated on my train – catcalling pervs are everywhere SAT in my university house living room, with various mates, there was a bang on the window. Then another and another. 5 Anna Roberts has been subject to harassment with TWO horrifying incidents Credit: Supplied 5 Surrey Police have launched a campaign for catcallers to be caught Credit: Getty It was 2003, I was 19 and studying English at the University of Leeds. Suddenly a man wearing a wig and dressed as a schoolgirl - and he was clearly a man, perhaps in his 40s - emerged from the shadows, lifted up his skirt and started masturbating. It was more than two decades ago and the memory of the incident has been partially eroded by time. But from what I recall he continued, smirking under his moustache, until he was erect. Then, while we all watched wide-eyed, he ejaculated. Most read in Fabulous CHILLING PLOT Netflix-inspired stalker locked me up in bunker & raped me…sick deal saved me 5 Anna during her uni years at Leeds Credit: Supplied He laughed as his semen smeared the glass before turning his back and sauntering off. At the time I giggled, not really seeing the harm. I am not even certain we called the police and - because there were a few of us - didn't feel unsafe. Now, two decades on, I feel horrified by his behaviour and saddened that these sort of incidents still occur. This month two female officers from Surrey Police hit the streets in sportswear to show how often women get harassed while running - and they were "catcalled within minutes". A spokesperson for the force said: "These behaviours may not be criminal offences in themselves, but they need to be addressed." Inspector John Vale added: "One of our officers was honked at within ten minutes - then another vehicle slowed down, beeping and making gestures just 30 seconds later - that's how frequent it is. "Someone slowing down, staring, shouting - even if it's not always criminal - it can have a huge impact on people's everyday lives and stops women from doing something as simple as going for a run. "We have to ask: is that person going to escalate? Are they a sexual offender? We want to manage that risk early." 5 Undercover police officers have started a new campaign to crack down on men catcalling female runners in Surrey– by posing as joggers themselves Credit: LBC 5 PC Abby Hayward is one of the police officers who posed as a jogger in a bit to catch catcallers out Credit: LBC Surrey Police's findings follow on from a 2021 survey by UN Women UK, the UK arm of the UN dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. These revealed 97% of UK women aged 18-24 have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces. The figure was later amended to 86%. And although I know not all men indulge in this sort of behaviour, I can well believe it. Aged 23, I was on a train coming out of Birmingham New Street to one of its smaller stations when a man in full cycling gear got on. Looking at me directly in the eye he put his hands straight down his pants, and rubbed and rubbed until he was hard. He was mid-50s and looked like a professional. He had a wedding ring on. I was completely terrified and ran through the train until I reached a much more crowded carriage. In hindsight I wonder what his wife might think if she knew. Disgust? Embarrassment? Many, many women I know have experienced similar incidents - some more serious, some less. It's not my place to tell their stories. Sexual abuse in numbers 669,000 adults are sexually assaulted in England and Wales every year 1 in 5 women (8m) in the UK have been sexually abused 1 in 6 men (5m) in the UK have been sexually abused 1 in 20 children in the UK have been sexually abused Sexual abuse has been attributed to: 15% of all suicides in the UK 11% of all common mental health disorders in the UK 7% of alcohol dependence disorders 10% of drug dependence disorders 15% of eating disorders 17% of post-traumatic stress disorders (Source: Safeline) It would be reductive to claim all men were predators. This is plainly not true. I know many good men who would not dream of assaulting anyone and would squirm at the thought of catcalling a woman. But it's undeniable, based on stats, Surrey Police's video evidence, UN data, anecdotal evidence and my own experience, that some men still indulge in this behaviour - and not just in Surrey! A quarter of a century after a teen sat in her room watching a grown man with a moustache in a wig and skirt get himself off, it's time to realise women are real people who deserve respect.
Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Scottish Sun
I was flashed by a man in fancy dress & cowered as another masturbated on my train – catcalling pervs are everywhere
Surrey Police's latest campaign hits very close to home for Fabulous' Associate Editor, Anna Roberts SICK MINDS I was flashed by a man in fancy dress & cowered as another masturbated on my train – catcalling pervs are everywhere Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SAT in my university house living room, with various mates, there was a bang on the window. Then another and another. 5 Anna Roberts has been subject to harassment with TWO horrifying incidents Credit: Supplied 5 Surrey Police have launched a campaign for catcallers to be caught Credit: Getty It was 2003, I was 19 and studying English at the University of Leeds. Suddenly a man wearing a wig and dressed as a schoolgirl - and he was clearly a man, perhaps in his 40s - emerged from the shadows, lifted up his skirt and started masturbating. It was more than two decades ago and the memory of the incident has been partially eroded by time. But from what I recall he continued, smirking under his moustache, until he was erect. Then, while we all watched wide-eyed, he ejaculated. Most read in Fabulous CHILLING PLOT Netflix-inspired stalker locked me up in bunker & raped me…sick deal saved me 5 Anna during her uni years at Leeds Credit: Supplied He laughed as his semen smeared the glass before turning his back and sauntering off. At the time I giggled, not really seeing the harm. I am not even certain we called the police and - because there were a few of us - didn't feel unsafe. Now, two decades on, I feel horrified by his behaviour and saddened that these sort of incidents still occur. This month two female officers from Surrey Police hit the streets in sportswear to show how often women get harassed while running - and they were "catcalled within minutes". A spokesperson for the force said: "These behaviours may not be criminal offences in themselves, but they need to be addressed." Inspector John Vale added: "One of our officers was honked at within ten minutes - then another vehicle slowed down, beeping and making gestures just 30 seconds later - that's how frequent it is. "Someone slowing down, staring, shouting - even if it's not always criminal - it can have a huge impact on people's everyday lives and stops women from doing something as simple as going for a run. "We have to ask: is that person going to escalate? Are they a sexual offender? We want to manage that risk early." 5 Undercover police officers have started a new campaign to crack down on men catcalling female runners in Surrey– by posing as joggers themselves Credit: LBC 5 PC Abby Hayward is one of the police officers who posed as a jogger in a bit to catch catcallers out Credit: LBC Surrey Police's findings follow on from a 2021 survey by UN Women UK, the UK arm of the UN dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. These revealed 97% of UK women aged 18-24 have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces. The figure was later amended to 86%. And although I know not all men indulge in this sort of behaviour, I can well believe it. Aged 23, I was on a train coming out of Birmingham New Street to one of its smaller stations when a man in full cycling gear got on. Looking at me directly in the eye he put his hands straight down his pants, and rubbed and rubbed until he was hard. He was mid-50s and looked like a professional. He had a wedding ring on. I was completely terrified and ran through the train until I reached a much more crowded carriage. In hindsight I wonder what his wife might think if she knew. Disgust? Embarrassment? Many, many women I know have experienced similar incidents - some more serious, some less. It's not my place to tell their stories. Sexual abuse in numbers 669,000 adults are sexually assaulted in England and Wales every year 1 in 5 women (8m) in the UK have been sexually abused 1 in 6 men (5m) in the UK have been sexually abused 1 in 20 children in the UK have been sexually abused Sexual abuse has been attributed to: 15% of all suicides in the UK 11% of all common mental health disorders in the UK 7% of alcohol dependence disorders 10% of drug dependence disorders 15% of eating disorders 17% of post-traumatic stress disorders (Source: Safeline) It would be reductive to claim all men were predators. This is plainly not true. I know many good men who would not dream of assaulting anyone and would squirm at the thought of catcalling a woman. But it's undeniable, based on stats, Surrey Police's video evidence, UN data, anecdotal evidence and my own experience, that some men still indulge in this behaviour - and not just in Surrey! A quarter of a century after a teen sat in her room watching a grown man with a moustache in a wig and skirt get himself off, it's time to realise women are real people who deserve respect.
North Wales Chronicle
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Welsh BAFTA winner takes on 'exciting' new role at Caernarfon TV company
The director, who has previously taken home a hat-trick of BAFTA Cymru gongs, is in charge of the new drama hub at the Cwmni Da TV production company in North Wales. Cwmni Da made the appointment of Martin Thomas as part of an expansion plan to safeguard and create jobs at the employee-owned company. Mr Thomas said: "There is huge potential to develop something really exciting. "If giants like Netflix, Amazon and HBO are coming to North Wales to film, surely we can also use these locations to make high-quality drama for S4C and other broadcasters." The move marks a reset at the company after the departure of managing director Llion Iwan, who left to become chief content officer at S4C. It has also seen chartered accountant Anna Roberts join the finance team. Meanwhile, Sioned Wiliam, former comedy controller at ITV, has returned to the board as a non-executive director after serving as interim chief executive at S4C. Mr Thomas, a familiar face at Cwmni Da, has worked as a freelance director and producer for a decade. He has been a key contributor to the S4C children's show, Deian a Loli, which has won several awards including three BAFTA Cymru awards. He said: "The offer to head up the new drama hub at Cwmni Da came as a huge but very pleasant surprise." Mr Thomas added: "It's brilliant that Cwmni Da are showing so much positivity by investing in drama and scripted content, whether they're short films, films, drama series, standalone dramas – the possibilities are endless." READ MORE: Gwynedd farmer films fatal livestock attack to highlight 'worrying' issue Anna Roberts, who has joined Cwmni Da after a stint with a banking software company, expressed her enthusiasm for the new role. She said: "The offer to come to work for Cwmni Da came at exactly the right time – I couldn't have wished for anything better. "It's a really exciting time to be joining the company." Bethan Griffiths, the company's interim managing director, said: "We were already producing and developing drama and Martin was a part of that and we wanted to ensure that drama and scripted content continue to be produced in North Wales and a focus at Cwmni Da. "All of this is building foundations for the next chapter in the history of Cwmni Da, safeguarding existing jobs, creating new ones, and boosting the local economy. "It's a really exciting time and we want to make sure we are best placed to make the most of every opportunity that comes our way."
Time of India
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Elections Canada worker removed from poll duty for allegedly trying to influence voters in English and Urdu
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Is the election process in Canada free and fair? This question is being raised after allegations that some Elections Canada workers were involved in influencing Canada took immediate action following the complaints and pulled out a worker assigned to the Greater Toronto Area . The worker, whose identity has not been disclosed, has been sent to an administrative position following allegations of trying to sway votes for a particular allegations levelled against the poll worker by Liberal Party candidate Mubarak Ahmed stated that the offending person was trying to get votes for Conservative Party candidate Anna Roberts at Teston Village Public School in the King-Vaughan riding or federal electoral district in Village Public School is an advance polling location where those eligible to cast their vote can do so. Mubarak Ahmed wrote a letter to Elections Canada on Saturday (April 19) accusing the said worker of trying to influence workers in English as well as Urdu. According to Ahmed's letter, the motive behind trying to influence Urdu-speaking or knowing voters was to target "a specific linguistic and cultural community within our riding".Elections Canada spokesperson told CityNews that the accused worker has been removed from poll-related work. 'We always take allegations of partisanship seriously. When allegations are raised, we look into them. The worker in question will not be present at any EC office or polling place. The integrity of the electoral process, and the perception of its integrity, are our priority,' the spokesperson told the Canadian media incident has been referred to the Commissioner of Canada Elections for further action.
