A visually impaired woman was indecently assaulted and followed for more than an hour across Sydney's train network in what police have described as an "appalling" attack against a vulnerable person. http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/assaults-stalking-of-blind-people-not-unusual-20130731-2qykg.html But the 23-year-old woman's terrifying ordeal, in which she was touched repeatedly on the breast, is not an isolated incident, according to Vision Australia, which has reported other situations of visually impaired people being targeted because of their vulnerability.
Police have released CCTV images of a man they would like to question over the assault on the woman, who walks with the aid of white cane, throughout her hour-long journey from Ashfield to Gymea. Continued attack: the man allegedly followed the woman onto the train. Continued attack: the man allegedly followed the woman onto the train. Photo: NSW Police Media Unit The woman told police that she was on her way to Ashfield station on July 17 when a man warned her of construction ahead and steered her in a different direction. When she got into an elevator at Ashfield station, she felt someone touch her breast. While she could not describe her attacker to police, CCTV footage from the station shows a man holding open the elevator doors and apparently assisting her to get in. He can be seen speaking to the woman, and appears to be looking at her chest. The woman claims she was first assaulted in an elevator. The woman claims she was first assaulted in an elevator. Photo: NSW Police Media Unit The woman continued her journey, catching a train from Ashfield to Central, where she caught another train bound for Gymea. Footage shows the same man following her through a ticket barrier, and down a set of stairs. The woman told police that when the train was between Jannali and Sutherland railway stations, she felt a hand on her breast and heard a male say to her that she was pretty. The 23-year-old moved to another seat, but was followed by the man who continued speaking to her. After a brief discussion, the man got up and walked away. The woman got off the train at Gymea and later reported the incident to Ashfield police. Detective Inspector Robert Cipolla said the man appeared to have deliberately targeted the woman because of her visual impairment. "She's a vulnerable person, she has a walking stick to aid her to get around and ... it is a particularly appalling sort of crime to commit against a person or a member of the public like this," he said. Gerrard Gosens, a special projects manager with Vision Australia, said sadly the woman's experience was not isolated. Mr Gosens, an Australian Paralympic Games athlete who has been blind since birth, said he had been followed on numerous occasions in his life, including one case in which he had to seek shelter in a retail shop. In another case during the Atlanta Paralympic Games, he was followed through a train station, with the person only leaving when he approached a group of strangers for help. Mr Gosens said people with a visual impairment already felt vulnerable in public places, let alone when they were being followed. Mr Gosens said he could not identify who was following him, who was around to help him, or locate where an exit was. "It's extremely distressing," he said. "In crowded environments it's already very challenging. Not only are there large numbers of people but, particularly in an metropolitan area, the sound of traffic and the echoing of the surrounding buildings makes it difficult to hear. "I think more so than the untoward nature of someone following you is the challenge of knowing where they are, and how to describe them, and how to seek assistance. We have no idea who we can seek help from. "I can't say to someone, 'Hey, that guy in the blue shirt is following me', because I have no idea what they look like." Mr Gosens, who competed in the Atlanta, Sydney and Beijing Paralympic Games in athletics, also has a 16-year-old daughter with a visual impairment. He said he sympathised with the 23-year-old woman who was targeted in the attack in Sydney. "Whilst being totally blind, I'm six-foot-three (190 centimetres) and have a seeing-eye dog," he said. "For a young girl with a white cane to be followed, I really, really feel for her." The man police would like to speak to about the attack on the 23-year-old woman in Sydney is described as being of Indian appearance, about 170 centimetres tall with a thin build. He was carrying a backpack and was wearing a distinctive brown-and-white striped jacket. Anyone with information about the man's identity or location has been asked to contact Ashfield Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. -- "Let’s stop "tolerating" or "accepting" difference, as if we’re so much better for not being different in the first place. Instead, let’s celebrate difference, because in this world it takes a lot of guts to be different." - Kate Bornstein Avinash Shahi Programme Executive at Score Foundation To know more,Why not visit our Website: http://www.eyeway.org/ And M.Phil Research Scholar at Centre for The Study of Law and Governance JNU. -- Avinash Shahi M.Phil Research Scholar Centre for The Study of Law and Governance Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi India Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. 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