tfayers

Thank you again to you all for your messages of support - much appreciated.

Thank you all very much for your kind words and for the advice about where to get an attack alarm. I was lucky to get away with only minimal facial bruises (where he was grabbing my face), thank you for asking :)

Just to warn everyone, I (female, 30s) was walking home from ED station just after midnight on Thursday and outside my house (between the gate and front door) someone grabbed me from behind. I managed to scream then he gripped my neck so tightly that I could not scream and said something like if I did not keep quiet I would die tonight. I was struggling and somehow managed to scream again and fortunately he ran off. By the time I got indoors my neighbours had come down and called the police, who came promptly and recorded the story (one remembers so little - I did not see the attacker at all as he was behind and remembered few details) and they took my scarf and DNA samples from my neck. Luckily the attacker did not take anything - he must have got scared (the neighbours said my scream was blood-curdling). The police said there was a very similar attack nearby a few hours beforehand and the woman had broken her own window to get her husbands attention. I am lucky as my two immediate neighbours (who I know) came down to see what was happening but no one else did. So ironically, it is fortunate that it was outside my door as if it had been somewhere else probably no one would have got involved. Plus I suppose i am lucky that he was quite inept - probably an opportunist - and did not have a weapon. I am going to get an attack alarm - I think we should all carry them these days in the evenings- at least it may help to scare attackers off, even if, sadly in this day and age, bystanders tend to nonchlently ignore them.

I find it extremely difficult to find a parking space near my house (near East Dulwich Station / top end of lordship lane), especially during the daytimes. I really hope they will make the area a controlled parking zone (residents' parking) soon.