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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Lydia Stephens

Protest planned for Cardiff park over sex assaults against women after cyclist touched woman 'inappropriately'

A protest will be held in a Cardiff park on Sunday over sexual assaults against women after a cyclist touched a woman '"inappropriately".

A masked protest, dubbed a "sit in", will be held in Sanatorium Park on Sunday following an incident which saw a woman approached by a man, and then sexually assaulted her.

The victim was left "extremely upset" after the incident on Thursday, April 8, at around 1.25pm. South Wales Police said the man, who was on a bicycle, rode off, but remained in the area for a short while after.

A police spokesperson said: "A 27-year-old local woman was walking her dog in the park when she was approached by a cyclist who touched her inappropriately. The cyclist rode off, but remained in the area for some minutes afterwards.

"The victim was extremely upset by the assault and we are appealing for any witnesses, or anyone who may have seen the cyclist to contact us. The suspect is described as a white man in his late teens or early 20s, of slim build with mousey brown hair. He was dressed all in black and riding a dark coloured push bike."

The reclaim Sanitorium Park sit in will take place on Sunday at 1pm.

Anne-Marie Davies, a resident in Canton involved in the protest, said the incident sparked a worry among people in the community, and had made her worry about her own daughter.

"My daughter used to go to the primary school near there, she is now in secondary school and I have always believed she would be fine walking through the park, but now I'm questioning that. Now I will have to teach her what to do if something like this happens, and I should not have to. Women should not have to worry about walking alone or worry about what they are wearing or worry about carrying a rape alarm."

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She added that everyone was welcome to attend the protest and that a conversation had been sparked about women's safety following the death of Sarah Everard. Sarah, a 33-year-old marketing executive, disappeared as she walked home in London on March 3, 2021. A serving Metropolitan police officer, 48-year-old Wayne Couzens from Deal in Kent, has been charged with her kidnap and murder.

Referring to the incident in the park, Ms Davies added: "To know that a person lies in wait in the middle of the day and then brazenly grabs a woman's bottom is unacceptable. She was someone who sadly was prepared with a rape alarm but too shocked to react. I want my 12-year-old daughter to be able to walk safely."

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