When the disappearance of Sarah Everard was reported I immediately thought of my own daughter. Not too dissimilar in age or beauty. As an ex-cop I instinctively knew that the probable outcome was bleak.
As the full tragedy played out on the TV news bulletins, I heard the testimony of several women. One affirmed that she rarely ran with earpieces in. Another, that a taxi was the only mode of transport home after a late night out. When I realised that many women had to routinely adopt counter surveillance techniques, I felt physically sick. As a man, running with headphones on and either walking home, or hopping on the night bus were choices I never ever felt were a matter of privilege. Save certain parts of South Africa and Islamabad in Pakistan, I cannot recall the necessity to think about the risk of being followed.
As a post-graduate criminologist, the clinical observations of psychologist Paul Britton, captured particularly in Picking Up the Pieces and The Jigsaw Man, flooded back to me. His assertion that the progression of sexual offending from indecent exposure to sexually motivated murder isn’t necessarily incremental, suggesting that often more minor lewd behaviour could be a red flag. Indeed, his field research consistently exposed that the most dangerous predatory sexual offenders have a tendency for progressing rapidly from seemingly trivial indiscretions. More often than not this behaviour has been noted by the authorities, if not, by friends, relatives, and associates.
Following the arrest of a suspect, a serving police officer, Baroness Jenny Jones mooted a 6pm curfew for men. The more I think of this notion the more I support it. Not a blanket restriction but modelled around risk to women, particularly in those areas that are known to court the entry level offending alluded to by Paul Britton. This is by no means exceptional since The Public Order Act 1986 and Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000, for example, have exclusionary powers.
But what can the vast majority of decent men do? We can all undertake base line behaviour and call out disrespect instantly. Humour, often inadvertent, nonetheless gives the abhorrent amongst us the cover they yearn. Unconsciously inappropriate wit gives light to legitimacy. In our wider sphere of influence, at work, at play and in our relationships with women never forget that they have become conditioned by society to continually look over their shoulders. Also, never be reluctant to report that man you know, the one you always suspected could one day do something terrible to a woman.
Men we have a mountain to climb, made that much more daunting since this suspects profession represents safety, care, and protection.
RIP Sarah Everard
© Ian Kirke 2021
Title photo by Jeffrey Grospe on Unsplash