A woman from Beckenham has recounted the horrific moment she was groped in a park by a stranger.
Christin Prüstel, 33, a charity worker from South London, said she was walking through the park at twilight when she was assaulted by a man on a bike.
“As I passed him he reached across my breasts to pull me in,” she said. “I pushed him away, told him to f*** off and flipped him off [gave him the middle finger] as I stormed off.”
READ MORE: Woman’s sexual assault on London to Glasgow train sparks police hunt for man responsible
Christin told My London she was walking through South Norwood Country Park on September 8 when she was assaulted.
“It had been a nice day so I was enjoying some cool evening air,” she said. “I was cutting through one of the small wooded paths heading towards Elmers Road”.
Unfortunately Christin was unable to give a clear description of her attacker
(Image: Christin Prüstel)
A man on a bike allegedly approached Christin and when he wouldn’t get out of the way she tried to move past him.
“I couldn’t tell if he hadn’t noticed me or was just being an idiot,” she said.
“I was doing that thing where, as a woman, you try and ignore them – because if I look at him he might think that I’m trying to lure him in.”
It was as she moved past him that the man on the bike allegedly made a grab for her, before she was able to push him away and escape.
“I did think about going back with a flashlight to get a photo of him for the police but it was dark and there weren’t many people around,” she said.
“I don’t know what he did afterwards or where he went.”
As Christin made her way home, she got “angrier and angrier” about what had happened, eventually calling police to report the incident.
“The audacity of him to grab me or touch me with no permission at all. How dare any man think he can do that?” she said.
“I was very angry. I thought I would be shocked and not able to think but I was just so angry.”
Christin said police were “honest” with her about the slim chance of finding the culprit without a more detailed description, but she hopes that by sharing her story she can warn Beckenham residents to remain vigilant.
She said: “I want people to be aware there’s a man in the park who’s potentially targeting women and I want to raise awareness more widely that these things are happening all the time.”
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While Christin is “generally not worried” about her safety in Beckenham, she said women who heard her story have vowed never to go to the park again.
“It’s up to every woman and what they feel comfortable with, but I’m not going to let that man ruin the park for me,” she said.
“I’m okay now. I’m surprisingly unaffected by it. I thought it would really shake me, but that’s just me.
“I’m just angry a man put his hands on my body and should the piece of s*** that did this read this, don’t for one second think you intimidated me or scared me.
“All you did was royally p*** me off. You are lucky I wasn’t wearing my steel-toe boots or I would have made you regret the day you ever decided to target women.”
A statement from the Metropolitan Police said Christin’s attacker “is described as white, aged around 40 and was wearing all black clothing at the time of the incident.”
Enquiries continue and no arrests have been made.
Anyone can report sexual assault to the Met by calling 999, 111 or online. Victims can also visit a police station or one of the Havens around the capital.
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