So today I sent a letter to the local councillors (48 of them) to share the experiences of other people in our community who have been affected by what has happened to Speedy G.
I have deliberately not named the man in question but my own local Councillors are aware of the case and have been since the day after Speedy G died.
Initially the call to action was a petition but I was concerned that a petition against an individual would be deliberately misconstrued as harassment but the stories that I was being told deserved to be shared. I know from my own trade union background that change happens when enough people speak up in the same voice so this is what we had to say…..
‘Dear Councillors
I hope this letter finds you well.
Before you begin to read this I just want to clarify that this letter is not from me, Nicola Karunaratne- Diver. At this stage you are all well versed in our complaint- the savage attack on Speedy G, his subsequent death and the frightening and invasive behaviour against me and my child. I know that you are also very familiar with my frustrations with the ‘system’ as it stands and my anger that the man who has caused so much pain within my family as yet has had no consequences. This letter is an open letter to you, our councillors, from us, the people of Thatto Heath.
Many of my neighbours and friends have been sharing with me their own experiences of this man and how his behaviour has affected them. It would appear that there is now a ‘collective’ harassment. I am going to share some of those thoughts with you now:
You may be familiar with ‘Dog Box Josh’, a lovely young man who had the gorgeously innocent and altruistic idea to leave boxes of dog toys in the park for dogs to use on their walks. This idea was reported in the local media and local residents were so heart gladden by this young man and his lovely idea. I myself put some of Speedy G’s toys in the box after he died and felt somewhat comforted to know that the joy those things brought to Speedy would bring further joy to other dogs and their owners. Josh’s family now tell me that Josh feels frightened when he is on the park and is too preoccupied looking over his shoulder for the dog that has attacked so many dogs in our park they he cannot relax enough to enjoy playing with his own dogs.
A woman who lives locally has shared with me that her anxiety is as she describes- ‘sky high’. She has stopped walked her dog on Thatto Heath park completely and is now using other parks. As reports come in that this man has been spotted in other parks, walking on Sherdley Park or Taylor Park has become as frightening a prospect as walking on Thatto Heath. As news spread that this man was being verbally abusive and threatening physical violence this has distressed this woman even further as she now questions how she would defend herself against an attack. This is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous that this woman is being made to feel this way.
Another resident stressed the effect of all of this on the mental health of local families especially during the Covid-19 crisis. We are being encouraged by the government to take our daily exercise in our local parks and for those who us who are now concerned about this man and his dog, that is not a viable option. Many of us are fit and able enough to make the further journey to a different green space but demographically there are lots of older people in this area so if they are concerned, what is their alternative?
I spoke to a long term resident of Elm Road who tells me that in the 20 plus years she has lived here she could count the number of dog attacks on one hand until now. Since he moved to the area there have been at least 7 dog attacks and 3 separate incidents of harassment or intimidation. I have myself, seen this lady (who is an incredibly kind and warm hearted lady) reduced to tears and shaking with fear when she sees him approaching on the park. She is now walking her elderly dog early in the morning and bringing a walking stick as she feels it awards her some protection. People in our community should not feel like they need protection!
One disabled lady told me that for her the park is a necessity- she needs to be able to park up and wait until her pain subsides before she can walk her dog. She needs to be able to walk her dog at a leisurely pace and relies on the benches to rest as she makes her way around. She cannot physically run so feels especially physically vulnerable.
One lady, who herself is a victim of this man, as I am, detailed to me her experience of having him ‘glare’ at her and told me about the ‘torrents of abuse and threats.’ She describes him as aggressive and unapologetic. True to his narcissism he paints a different version of himself to the authorities.
Interestingly I spoke to a lady on VE day who expressed her anger and disappointment that both of her grandfathers had fought in WW2 and now here she was, 75 years later, too frightened to use her local amenities, denied that freedom by one man.
I find it both interesting and horrifying that to now this man’s behaviour seems to only impact women and children. When his dog first attacked another local dog and he was confronted by the male owner (after giving a false name and address), he handed over the cash for the vet bill, no argument, no questions asked. According to Paladin, 700,000 women are the victims of stalking and harassment every year. 1 in 5 women experience harassment in their lifetime- this was my first experience but I am devastated that at 4 years of age my own daughter has had her first experience of harassment and intimidation. Typically most women don’t report the harassment until after the 100th incident so although we know what this man has done to me and my daughter, we cannot and may never know the extent of his network of victims. He has followed at least one other woman early in the morning and made threats against a number of other women locally. It is also worth noting that 1 in 2 stalkers act on their threats so while we scoff at the ridiculousness of this man and his doorstep diatribes, there is a very real, very uncomfortable potential for physical violence.
But, as always, what prevails in Thatto Heath is the community spirit- this community spirit that helped us raise awareness about the attacks, helped us raise money to pay a crippling bill, gave us food hampers, bought us tokens of remembrance, provided safe places for my daughter to play when she feels frightened, provided me the physical resources that I needed as a parent to guide her through this. Community spirit is so desperately important especially in an area like Thatto Heath. During the Covid 19 crisis we have seen in spades the importance of community spirit in helping the community to survive and in ensuring the safety of our most vulnerable. This spirit is a force for change and a collective compassion that sees us willing, to some degree to sacrifice our own interests for the good of the community. Dichotomously, within the community we are indignant at the antisocial behaviour of one man that we have seen go seemingly unchallenged and proud of the activism that we see as we push to stop this man terrorising our park.
As our chosen representatives our expectation is that you continue to highlight this issue- to the police, to the council, to dog enforcement, to environmental health, to your neighbours- to every single person who can listen and may be able to help. I don’t presume to tell you your role or won’t patronise you with definitions of your duties but there is a mood of fear now within our community and that mood can only be alleviated by action and reassuring measures.
Yours sincerely
Nicola Karunaratne-Diver, on behalf of the residents of Thatto Heath.’
Justice for Speedy G 