Man arrested over allegations of harassment in Lydney
Police have been looking into six reports of incidents
A man has been arrested over allegations of women being followed and harassed in Lydney over the course of a week.
Gloucestershire Police said officers received six reports between Friday 11th September and Sunday 20th September from women who said they had been followed by a man driving a black Range Rover.
The women were not known to the man.
According to Gloucestershire Police, he followed them while driving very slowly, and shouted or whistled at them, leaving them feeling intimidated.
A man in his 20s from the Forest of Dean has been arrested on suspicion of committing offences under the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act 2023, Gloucestershire Police said.
He remains in custody while enquiries continue, according to the force.
Officers are now asking any other women who experienced similar behaviour, but who have not yet reported it, to come forward.
Force backs national campaign on non-contact offences
Gloucestershire Police said it is supporting the It Does Matter campaign, which aims to raise awareness of non-contact sexual offences and encourage people to report and record them.
Non-contact sexual offences include, but are not limited to, exposure, voyeurism, upskirting, spiking and catcalling, the force said.
Evidence shows these offences can form part of a pattern of escalating behaviour, according to Gloucestershire Police, with many sexual offenders beginning with non-contact offending before progressing to more serious crimes.
The force said this makes identifying, recording and investigating such incidents vitally important.
More information about the national campaign is available at www.itdoesmatter.org.uk .
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of a similar incident is asked to contact Gloucestershire Police through its website, quoting reference number 53260081317.