Latest news with #harassment
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Tearful Livvy Dunne claims group of middle-aged men are 'stalking' her at airports across America
Social media sensation Livvy Dunne has claimed she is being stalked by a group of middle-aged men at airports across America. The former LSU gymnast and model, 22, made the shock allegations in a TikTok video posted on Friday night. Dunne, who is dating MLB pitcher Paul Skenes, says the group of men harass her for an autograph. She even claimed they 'run after me' through security and will 'yell at me' if she doesn't sign their items. It follows similar claims made recently by tennis star Coco Gauff and Olympic athlete Gabby Thomas. Speaking directly to the camera, Dunne said: 'I think I'm being stalked and I don't know what to do. It's got to the point every single time I go to the airport, there's a group of at least 10 middle-aged men waiting for me, and they harass me. 'It's these men that want my autograph. They have a stack of 40 pictures of me or my magazines and they will run after me down the TSA PreCheck line and yell at me if I don't give them my autograph, it's insane. 'But they will yell at me and make a scene and the people around me are scared. It's crazy. Even this morning was a terrible experience.' Dunne then showed a video of her crying in what looked to be the back of a taxi leaving an airport. She continued: 'This is me literally crying, fresh off a red eye at 6am. They circled me at the baggage claim and were in my face. It's not only when I'm going to big events, it's if I'm going on family vacation, they're waiting there. 'It's something with the airline and it's weird and my parents are like "what the f***?" 'The worst part is, it's not only me. I remember Gabby Thomas made a video about this and it needs to stop because it's scary for girls. It's weird. 'Yes, I know I'm chronically online and I post my life but I'm talking about like a 20 minute connecting flight through Omaha, Nebraska they would be waiting there. 'I'm not making content on a connecting flight. I'm talking about the most random cities. It's just so strange. Stay safe.' Dunne's stardom has exploded in recent years and as a result she now has over 5million followers on Instagram and 8million on TikTok. She was recently a cover model for Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit edition for the first time in her career. The Hillsdale, New Jersey native has just completed her fifth and final gymnastics season with LSU. She is one of the top earners in name, image and likeness compensation, with an estimated valuation of $4.1m. Because of her immense popularity, Dunne and LSU were forced to take extra security measures to guarantee her safety. They had security guards traveling with the team while traveling. There was one chaotic scene at the University of Utah in January 2023 when an army of young male fans carrying posters and a full-sized cutout of Dunne gathered outside the building and chanted 'We want Livvy! Give us Livvy!'. ESPN analyst Sam Peszek posted at the time: 'This is actually so scary and disturbing and cringey. I'm embarrassed for them.' Dunne also had to stop attending her LSU classes in person after an apparent stalker threatened to 'shoot-up' the school's campus in Baton Rouge. But Dunne is not the only female athlete to have encountered such issues as both Gauff and Thomas recently revealed their encounters with overzealous fans. In January, Team USA track phenomenon Thomas revealed she'd had a string of 'stalking' incidents with people appearing to follow her around different airports throughout the country. Thomas spoke out about the 'three to six men' who had been waiting for her at airports in Chicago and Miami on TikTok. Her plea for help brought support from all corners of the internet, including an admission from tennis star Gauff that Thomas is not alone in her experiences. 'This happens to me too, I don't know how it happens,' Gauff said. 'My theory is maybe someone at the airport tips them off.' As proof, Thomas posted a clip of her trying to scare the stalkers off at Chicago's O'Hare airport. Like Dunne, Thomas said the men approach her to sign photos of her. 'At this point, every time I travel, I'm afraid that these men, it's three to six of them, middle-aged, are going to show up and harass me,' Thomas said. 'They have my flight information. And they show up at the front door of the airport at the correct concourse or they show up at my gate, which means they have flight tickets and they get past security and all that. 'And they show up and they ask me to sign a bunch of these photos and pictures of me, like 40 of them. I don't know what they're doing with them, probably selling them, I don't care. What scares me is that they have my flight information.' 'I don't even know what time I'm flying out sometimes. I don't tell anyone my flight information. I've changed all my email passwords, I don't know if they're hacking me. But they get really aggressive and hostile if I say "no."' 'When I'm by myself, it's really scary. They got really hostile with my boyfriend yesterday. It's not even airline-specific but I don't know how they're getting my flight information. And it's really starting to freak me out. 'And honestly, I don't know who to go to about this. Do I go to the police? Do I go to airport security?' When Thomas asked the men how they got her flight information, she said they lie and made up excuses about being in the right place at the right time.
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: Vile train passenger who threatened women saying 'I'll kill you' is former teen football star about to become father for first time
A train passenger allegedly caught on film threatening and abusing two young women on a train is a former teen football star. Electrician Elijah Chilekwa, 27, was filmed allegedly shouting abuse at the women, who he did not know, after they reportedly declined to say who they found most attractive out of himself and the two friends he was travelling with. Chilekwa, who previously played for Wales U19s football team with one international goal to his name, is said to have told the women: 'I'll kill you. I'll kill your boyfriend. I'll follow you. I'll follow you to your house. I'll follow you to your boyfriend's house, I'll kill your boyfriend. Whatever bro.' He was reportedly then seen further harassing the women before allegedly throwing chewing gum at a third, leaving her in tears. The awful clip, which was filmed earlier this month on a train from Cardiff to Swindon, went viral on social media. Chilekwa, who is about to become a father with his girlfriend of eight years, has since been arrested by the British Transport Police. Despite his behaviour, Chilekwa's girlfriend has claimed he was simply 'drunk' and 'his intention wasn't to threaten them.' During the outburst, filmed by one of the victims, two friends travelling with Elijah were heard attempting to calm the situation, telling him: 'What are you doing bruv?' The former Wales footballer is now an electrician and was filmed on the train earlier this month Chilekwa went on to shout: 'If those two girls want to move, you can go. I'm not going to f***ing stop you from going.' As his friends tell him he is 'embarrassing' them, he continues: 'I ain't embarrassing no-one. You two move then.' His friends then attempt to persuade Elijah to move to another seat away from the women, before telling him to 'shut up' to no avail. One of his friends said: 'I can't believe what you're doing.' But speaking to MailOnline, Chilekwa's girlfriend of eight years Niamh James, 23, who is seven months pregnant, claimed her partner later apologised. Ms James said: 'What he said was disgusting and both he and I have spoken to the girls to apologise. 'His intention was not to threaten them, he was just drunk and being a fool. It's out of character. He's sorry and it will be dealt with by the courts.' She added Chilekwa has suffered a huge backlash since the video was put on social media, including racist and homophobic abuse. She said: 'Someone said [to me] I can't believe you're having a baby with him. 'He's had racist messages, people saying black lives matter, some of the things are worse than what Elijah said. 'There were even homophobic comments and he's not gay.' She added: 'This is being dealt with by the BTP. Due to this we can't discuss any further.' The firm where Chilekwa works, Brighter Green Engineering Ltd, has been made aware of the incident, MailOnline understands, with his company said to be 'supportive' of the former footballer. As well as previously playing for Wales, Chilekwa played as a right winger at Bristol City before being signed at Worcester City. A BTP spokesperson previously told MailOnline: 'There is absolutely no place for violent or intimidating behaviour on the railway network, and we encourage the victim or anyone who witnessed the incident to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 271 of May 18. 'You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.'
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Park staff trained to tackle harassment of women
Park staff across London are being trained to spot and respond to harassment, as part of a new drive to make green spaces safer for women and girls. The training, developed by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and the University of Leeds, will give staff the tools to step in when they see inappropriate behaviour. Members of the public can also sign up for the course. Campaigners say many women avoid parks, especially after dark, due to safety concerns. The charity which campaigns against stalking and harassment is also calling for better lighting, more staff, and for women to have a say in how parks are designed. "The kinds of behaviours this training would assist with include inappropriate comments, gestures, cat calling or even unwanted touching," said Saskia Garner from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. "Someone sitting down next to you on a bench and putting their arm around you – anything that makes you feel unsafe is not OK." Ms Garner added that many people want to help but are unsure how to act safely. "You wouldn't go in a park by yourself after dark or even with one other person because it doesn't feel safe," one woman told BBC London in the Regent's Park. Another added: "[Parks aren't] not very well lit... in the one where I live there are no street lamps." The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, set up after the 1986 disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh, works to reduce violence and harassment through training and support. "People don't feel they can intervene," Ms Garner said. "They worry about making things worse. The women we spoke to said they didn't feel safe to challenge the harassment and didn't think anyone would help them." Violence against women and girls 'endemic' Most women feel unsafe in parks, research finds Park staff trained in handling harassment cases The scheme encourages the idea of "active bystanders" – people who feel confident to intervene without putting themselves at risk. "This training gives people safe tools to step in. Whether by distracting someone or helping to report what's happened. But it always prioritises your safety and what's right for that moment," Ms Garner added. Posters will soon appear in parks and community centres across London, encouraging people to sign up. Dr Anna Barker, from the University of Leeds, said: "We want to build a community of active bystanders… so people feel more confident and connected, and better able to act when they see harassment." The training is being rolled out using Keep Britain Tidy's Green Flag Award network across England and Wales, the University of Leeds said. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Suzy Lamplugh Trust Keep Britain Tidy - Green Flag Award
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Park staff trained to tackle harassment of women
Park staff across London are being trained to spot and respond to harassment, as part of a new drive to make green spaces safer for women and girls. The training, developed by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and the University of Leeds, will give staff the tools to step in when they see inappropriate behaviour. Members of the public can also sign up for the course. Campaigners say many women avoid parks, especially after dark, due to safety concerns. The charity which campaigns against stalking and harassment is also calling for better lighting, more staff, and for women to have a say in how parks are designed. "The kinds of behaviours this training would assist with include inappropriate comments, gestures, cat calling or even unwanted touching," said Saskia Garner from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. "Someone sitting down next to you on a bench and putting their arm around you – anything that makes you feel unsafe is not OK." Ms Garner added that many people want to help but are unsure how to act safely. "You wouldn't go in a park by yourself after dark or even with one other person because it doesn't feel safe," one woman told BBC London in the Regent's Park. Another added: "[Parks aren't] not very well lit... in the one where I live there are no street lamps." The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, set up after the 1986 disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh, works to reduce violence and harassment through training and support. "People don't feel they can intervene," Ms Garner said. "They worry about making things worse. The women we spoke to said they didn't feel safe to challenge the harassment and didn't think anyone would help them." Violence against women and girls 'endemic' Most women feel unsafe in parks, research finds Park staff trained in handling harassment cases The scheme encourages the idea of "active bystanders" – people who feel confident to intervene without putting themselves at risk. "This training gives people safe tools to step in. Whether by distracting someone or helping to report what's happened. But it always prioritises your safety and what's right for that moment," Ms Garner added. Posters will soon appear in parks and community centres across London, encouraging people to sign up. Dr Anna Barker, from the University of Leeds, said: "We want to build a community of active bystanders… so people feel more confident and connected, and better able to act when they see harassment." The training is being rolled out using Keep Britain Tidy's Green Flag Award network across England and Wales, the University of Leeds said. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Suzy Lamplugh Trust Keep Britain Tidy - Green Flag Award
BBC News
12 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
London park staff trained to tackle harassment of women
Park staff across London are being trained to spot and respond to harassment, as part of a new drive to make green spaces safer for women and training, developed by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and the University of Leeds, will give staff the tools to step in when they see inappropriate behaviour. Members of the public can also sign up for the say many women avoid parks, especially after dark, due to safety charity which campaigns against stalking and harassment is also calling for better lighting, more staff, and for women to have a say in how parks are designed. "The kinds of behaviours this training would assist with include inappropriate comments, gestures, cat calling or even unwanted touching," said Saskia Garner from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust."Someone sitting down next to you on a bench and putting their arm around you – anything that makes you feel unsafe is not OK."Ms Garner added that many people want to help but are unsure how to act safely. "You wouldn't go in a park by yourself after dark or even with one other person because it doesn't feel safe," one woman told BBC London in the Regent's added: "[Parks aren't] not very well lit... in the one where I live there are no street lamps."The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, set up after the 1986 disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh, works to reduce violence and harassment through training and support."People don't feel they can intervene," Ms Garner said."They worry about making things worse. The women we spoke to said they didn't feel safe to challenge the harassment and didn't think anyone would help them." The scheme encourages the idea of "active bystanders" – people who feel confident to intervene without putting themselves at risk."This training gives people safe tools to step in. Whether by distracting someone or helping to report what's happened. But it always prioritises your safety and what's right for that moment," Ms Garner will soon appear in parks and community centres across London, encouraging people to sign Anna Barker, from the University of Leeds, said: "We want to build a community of active bystanders… so people feel more confident and connected, and better able to act when they see harassment."The training is being rolled out using Keep Britain Tidy's Green Flag Award network across England and Wales, the University of Leeds said.
