A teenager has described the terrifying moment she fled a group of men who she fears were about to try and snatch her. The teenage girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said the incident happened when she went for a walk near her family home at Prestatyn Central Beach.
Police are now investigating the incident and have been carrying out additional patrols to reassure people. The 17-year-old victim said it was still light outside and busy near the seafront when she noticed a green car parked nearby. She recalled noticing one of the "two or three" men inside the car looking at her, but she didn't think much of it and carried on with her walk.
As she headed home, she said she noticed the car again in Bastion Road. This time, she said two men were outside the car and started saying things to her while they appeared to rearrange something in the boot. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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She told WalesOnline: "One of the men was calling me and waving me over to the car. I looked at him and carried on walking, but I could still hear him. I walked for about two minutes towards the junction and then I could hear running behind me so I started sprinting. He was jogging behind me and I could hear him saying: 'Why did you ignore me?'." [After a few minutes] I was walking and he was walking behind me."
She said she was aware of a man and woman walking together - unrelated to the man following her - who were somewhere behind her. She said she looked towards them and managed to get their attention.
"They saw me and said: 'Is everything alright?', and I shook my head to say no. Then I walked over to them and the woman immediately linked my arm and I knew I was safe at that point. The guy [following me] then ran back to the car. The two kind people walked me to my house. Thank God they were there, I was ready to run towards the street screaming and shouting for help."
She said she had been left very shaken by the ordeal, which happened just before 9.30pm on Saturday, May 28, and no longer felt comfortable being outside alone. She said: "You never think something like this would happen. My stomach turned and I was really, really scared. I was thinking, how many other girls have they done this to? And what are they willing to do to me if they are willing to run after me in the daylight?
"On the walk home I was crying and shaking. When I woke up the next morning I still felt shaky. Now I don't feel comfortable leaving my house alone. It's safe to say I will not be doing that for a long time. I'm glad I am an older girl than if it happened to an 11 or 12-year-old who might just freeze in that scenario."
She said she felt incredibly grateful to the two people who helped her and made her feel as comfortable as possible. She added: "The man and woman made me feel comfortable in such an uncomfortable situation. They made me feel safe and reassured me the whole way home. I have kept in contact with them and they said they are there for me if I ever need to vent or talk about it. I am so grateful for them, it shows the two different sides of what people can do."
That evening she reported the incident to North Wales Police. Officers took a detailed statement from her the next morning and are now investigating the issue. It is understood that at least one other girl was approached in similar circumstances within the vicinity over the bank holiday weekend.
Jordan Ashley was one of the two friends who helped the teenager and walked her home. The 30-year-old from Rhyl described what he saw as "absolutely horrific" and said he was very glad that she got home safely. He said: "We saw each other at the promenade. She was in front of us walking in the same direction towards the crossroad. As we got to the crossroad in the distance we could see a lad run out from Highbury Avenue with no shoes on, which we thought was weird. As I looked up it looked like he tried to grab [her]. As she turned around you could see the fear in her face and she started walking towards us."
Jordan said his female friend asked the teenager if she knew the man. When she replied "no" his friend asked her to link her arm if she felt comfortable, at which point, he said, the man stopped following her.
"It was a horrific situation and she was properly shaken up," Jordan said. "I’m glad it didn’t escalate, but it could have. You don’t know if they have weapons or what their intentions are. We are so glad she is safe and that we were there at the right time.
"You read about this type of thing happening in the papers somewhere miles away, you don’t expect it to happen where you live. We are all in shock and trying to process it. I can’t imagine how she would have felt because it was bad enough seeing it. It makes you think of your own family members."
Jordan said he was particularly shocked by the time and place where the incident happened. He said: "They must be so confident to do it in broad daylight in a busy area. It was a bank holiday and Prestatyn is a holiday resort. It wasn’t bustling with people, but there were still people around and the odd car going past. They must be so confident as it was such a bold move to try and throw someone into your boot, from what it looked like to me. The situation could have been so much worse.
"We told [her] to switch up her route and keep at least one headphone out of her ear. We shouldn’t have to do these things but this situation is a prime example why we have to."
The teenager's parents said they had also been left shaken and angry about the incident. They now want to raise awareness of what happened to encourage people to be weary.
Her mum said: "The most shocking thing is that this happened in Prestatyn. It's not like London, Liverpool or Manchester, these things don't happen here, and I am not being naive when I say that. It's really, really scary to think of what could have happened. The two people who helped her were guardian angels.
"At 17 [she] is mature, but it still would have been terrifying for a grown woman of 30. I am very angry that they had the audacity to think they can just take girls off the street, especially when it was still light outside - although the time it happened does not justify it. We don't want to scare people but we need people to be aware and to open their eyes."
District Inspector Kevin Smith, for North Wales Police, said: “We are aware of an incident in Prestatyn on Saturday (May 27) in which a car containing several men has been reported to approach a young woman.
“Officers responded to these reports to identify the vehicle involved and have been in contact with the young woman and her family following what was clearly a distressing incident. We continue to act in line with their wishes.
“Women and girls should always feel safe in their community, and we would encourage anyone to report further concerns to the police. Street harassment is never acceptable and there will be increased patrols in the area over the coming days for reassurance purposes.”
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