Swindon woman stalked by stranger now carries pepper spray

The 57-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous, has told the Adver of how she has been pursued multiple times in her home area of Stratton.

Her first instance of being stalked was in May of 2022 when she was walking her seven-year-old Spanish Hound along Nythe Road.

“A man was standing by a parked white van and was staring directly at me before starting to walk towards my direction,” she said.

“Straight away I thought it was strange and began to feel really nervous.”

As the man began to pick up speed, the woman thought fast and made a quick getaway due to the fear of what might occur.

“I turned around to return home immediately and I saw a nearby alleyway so I literally sprinted down it,” she said.

“My dog is usually very calm so this freaked him a bit but he still ran as fast as he could because I didn’t give him a choice.”

The woman was walking along Nythe Road when the first instance occurred. (Image: Google Maps)

No more incidents occurred for the rest of 2022 as the woman had changed work shifts and was walking her dog earlier in the afternoon but this changed this year as she reverted to later hours.

“Now I finish work later I’m scared to death to go out,” she revealed.

The woman’s worst fears were realised as she encountered the same man again earlier this year.

At around 4.30pm during a dog walk on Thursday, January 5, she spotted the stranger again and had another unwanted experience.

“I had been walking over the big Covingham field by the school before I was approaching an alleyway when I noticed him again,” she recalled.

“He’s of a slim build and is fairly short at around 5.5 feet high. He was wearing the same clothing consisting of a long dark coat, dark trousers and dark shoes.

“I froze, panicked, but he walked straight past me.”

Surprised by the near miss, the woman continued her walk before making a disturbing revelation mere minutes later.

“I moved on hoping he hadn’t recognised me and once I reached the traffic lights, I looked behind me and saw no sign of him,” she said.

“I was relieved for a second and crossed the road but when I looked back again, he was suddenly there.”

The dog walker had been walking on the grass near Covingham Park Primary school when she encountered the man for a second time. (Image: Google Maps)

The woman was then seemingly pursued as she tried to reach her destination, leading her to panic once again and rush away.

“He then crossed the road and leaned to see where I was going as I carried on walking,” she said.

“I sprinted around the back of the nearby houses and ran all the way to my mum’s house.”

The troubling experiences have left the woman shaken and she now prepares for her daily dog walks differently as a result.

“I now carry pepper spray and a big stick because I no longer feel safe walking the dog and I don’t enjoy the walking anymore as I’m on edge all the time now,” she said.

“I am a nervous wreck. I’m anxious because of this and it’s led to me having panic attacks.”

The 57-year-old did contact the police but they were unable to do anything as the man had not touched her.

“No normal bloke would do what he has done as he has come right out of his way to follow me,” she said.

“I fear he will find out where I live so always be aware of who is around and behind you when you’re walking, especially as a woman walking alone.”