Midnight: Resident report into Save Our Beeston & Holbeck group. SOE admin contacted the resident to get more details.

Calum and his friend Dave finished work late at a club in the city centre and were walking home near the managed zone around midnight when they heard a woman’s voice calling for help…

“We took a detour to a street in the direction where the calls were coming from.  We saw a man trying to strangle a woman.  He released her as soon as we approached and she ran towards us.  The arguments continued.  She’s a sex worker and he’s the punter.  The fight was about condoms.  He wanted her to have sex without a condom and was offering her extra money but she refused.  She had said she would only do it if he wore a condom and he became angry then tried to strangle her. We told him off and threatened to call the Police.  He skulked back to his car.  Dave was stood with the woman on the pavement reassuring her, he said we’d walk her home.  I was watching them.  The punter started the car engine and drove at them, mounting the pavement.  He hit Dave and Dave flew across the bonnet of the car then fell off onto the road.  He missed the woman.  After that the punter drove at me and tried to run me down but I dodged him.  He drove off and we called the Police.”

Save Our Eyes issued this appeal for info 

“Members we need your help to identify a punters car seen in the zone last night. The punter ran over a local resident who went to help a prostituted woman who was being attacked near Dunelm.
The witness believes the reg starts with YF11. It’s a Ford Fiesta 5 door, black, new shape.
Punter is described as approx 5ft 6in, stocky, black hair & black goatee beard.”

4pm Holbeck resident report to Save Our Eyes

My 12 year old daughter walking home from school rang me to tell me she’s just seen a lady being raped! 2 men had pinned her up against the wall between Holbeck cemetery and Beggars Hill Park and one was pulling off her knickers as she screamed. My daughter ran home and I’ve called 999. She is very upset and vague on description but one male had a white t shirt and the other black tracksuit bottoms. The lady had quite long brown hair and a patterned top.

Her dad says, “A couple of hours later I was checking to see if she’s OK and she said “nah I’m fine.”  I said “It must have been quite an upsetting thing?” and she replied “but it happens round here all the time.”  My 12 year old thinks this is normal.”

Her mum is very angry. “Do you know how horrible it is to have your 12 year old daughter ring you panicking because of seeing this! This area used to be nice – it was somewhere I was proud to live. Now it’s been destroyed!”

Police attended the girls home and interviewed her with her parents.  The location of this incident was outside the zone in a residential area near a childrens playground.