As part of “Me Too”, I would like to relate an event that happened to me when I was a teenager. It was my school certificate year and I was baby sitting for a friend of mum’s at their house.
I had a boyfriend at the time, and he was going to come around to do some study together. Because of this I left the front door unlocked. I was studying in the lounge and could see the front door from where I was sitting.
I happened to look up from my books to see the front door open and a hand come around and turned off the light in the hall. Thinking it was my boyfriend, being stupid, I called out what are you doing silly? No answer. Then I saw a hand come around and turn-off the light in the lounge where I was. Still thinking it was my friend I said, “don’t be stupid”. The only light now was from the gas heater I was sitting beside.
The person came towards me and grabbed me by the arm and pulled me up. Still thinking it was my friend I stood up and looked up to see a bloke with a stocking over his face! I grabbed the stocking and pulled at it but only caused his head to go further in to the stocking. I did scratch his face though. He then threw me on the floor beside the heater which scared me. I thought we would knock it over and cause a fire. I had also just got new glasses and was terrified they would break so I took them off and put them under the chair. Funny things you think about!
People talk about the strength you get when you are in a “fight or flight” situation. I got this amazing strength that helped me protect myself. When he knew he wasn’t going to be able to rape me in that position he pulled me to my feet and pulled me towards the hall. I was sure he was going to throw me down the stairs, so I grabbed the door frame and clung on for grim death. He realised that wasn’t going to work so he dragged me into the bathroom and threw me into the empty bath. He then ran out the front door and ran down the drive.
I was terrified he was going to come back so raced out and locked the front door and ran into a bedroom and slammed the door. I turned around to see there was no door handle on the door, so I was unable to get out of the bedroom to ring the police. I was 2 floors up, so there was no way I could climb out the window to get help, so I hugged their flea-ridden cat for 2 hours until the owners came home. My boyfriend did come around but seeing all the lights turned off thought the baby-sitting job hadn’t happened and went home.
When the owners returned, the police were called, and they brought the tracker dogs round. I was able to describe his age, height, what he was wearing and the stocking he had over his head and the scratch on his face. The dogs traced the bloke to his house down the road. I knew he was a local because I never heard a vehicle take off when he ran out the door. They also found torn pantyhose in his pocket and a scratch on his face.
They brought him back for me to identify. I could identify him by his height, the jacket and his smell (mothballs) and of course the scratch on his face. Because of the pantyhose on his face I couldn’t say what he looked like.
The amazing thing about this is the police said they didn’t have enough evidence and he was never charged. I find this incredulous!! I later found out he was the husband of the woman who had gone out with my mother and the people I was babysitting for!
I hope, with better policing and modern technology this wouldn’t happen today.