Mother warns women about 'stalker' after being followed around children's playground
A mother has warned women and girls to be vigilant after being followed by man while in a park with her young son.
When Chloe Sweet, 26, entered Blackwood Park, Streetly, the man walked past her and said "hi, how are you?". After she replied "fine", he then proceeded to stalk her for more than 20 minutes until she asked a builder to chaperone her home.
At one stage the man, who is said to be in his 50s, around five foot five inches, tanned with grey hair tied in a bun, watched the mother and son in the park's children's playground for 10 minutes and then followed them when they left.
She said: "It went on for 20 minutes. I didn’t want him seeing me going into my home so I went into the playground and the man sat on the bench and watched me and my son playing. He then came and stood right outside the gates behind a tree again watching us."
During the ordeal Chloe rang her granddad who advised her to phone the police or find someone else in the park to show the man she was not alone. The plan worked when she spotted a builder who walked with her home which finally led to the man walking off in another direction.
She said: "Luckily the tennis courts at Blackwood park are being done so I asked one of the builder to walk me home and he disappeared. The man that I spoke to said there was a woman who asked them the same thing because there was a man following her too."
The man's behaviour was so unnerving Chloe when she was safely back home she warned wrote about the incident and other women about their safety.
The incident happened last Wednesday and she did not feel comfortable enough to leave the house again until Sunday.
She said: "I am just glad it wasn’t dark and there were people around. I had no idea what to do. I wouldn’t have put this on social media but after I spoke to the builders and they said it had happened to another woman I thought I would.
"I have other people message me saying in the past two months they have been followed. But I don’t think it was the person that followed me.”
Chloe reported the incident to West Midlands Police who advised her to immediately phone 999 if she sees him again.
A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “We received a report of a woman being followed by a man in Blackwood Park, Cedar Drive, Streetly, on May 10. It happened between 10.30am and 10.50am and the woman was not directly approached.
"We have carried out enquiries but the man has not been identified.”
