Foot stomp defense

Foot stomp - Illustration, from Flickr.com

There are a number of basic and highly effective ways of fighting back - the rather innocent looking foot stomp defense is one of them.

A basic foot stomp is quick and simple to execute, and when you land it properly... Goodbye trouble - hello freedom!

The story below from clickorlando.com is a great example of this "sneaky" self defense tactic - apparently executed flawlessly I might add.

According to Melbourne police, the woman was walking her dog near the racquetball court when she was approached from behind by a man who grabbed her shirt.
The man told the woman to let go of the dog and then said he was going to rape her, according to police.
The woman began talking to the man to distract him and then stomped on his foot, causing him to let go of her, police said.
The woman, who was not injured in the attack, then ran toward her apartment while screaming, Melbourne police said.

Not only is the foot stomp defense move in place - she apparently sets it up with a distraction and then running away screaming.

In my opinion, this is a text book example of a great self-defense action. Kudos!

Lame excuses #9

UK (Scotland) A 35-year-old African man who attempted to rape a woman in Glasgow has been jailed for four years.

The man, who was caught on CCTV attacking the 35-year-old in July 2008 after she had become separated from friends after a night out, blamed the devil for his actions.

The man attacked the woman as she stood alone in a street in the city's Royston district. He was convicted in November 2009.

Quick thinking

On June 26, at about 8:30 p.m., a 35-year-old man is reported to lure his way into a woman's vehicle in Dale City (San Mateo), California by asking if he could borrow jumper cables to start his car.

The offender proceeded to jumped into the woman's vehicle, where he took out a knife and told the woman to drive down a side street.

When the man demanded sex, the quick-thinking woman managed convince the would-be rapist to remove a child car seat from her back seat to "give them more room for sex."

While the offender did as suggested, the intended victim jumped from the car and ran off. The suspect was reportedly arrested later in the stolen vehicle.

Door-to-door dangers

During a period of eight months houstonpress.com have investigated door-to-door magazine sales across the country.

They say the industry has seen at least three murders and one attempted murder; one stabbing, one rape and two attempted rapes; one vehicle fatality and one attempted abduction of a 13-year-old girl.

My suggestion is that you take the time to read this article in full, it's shocking to say the least.

Looking for targets

In Japan, a 34-year-old man from Kawasaki is been charged with rape and attempted rape according to media. His latest victim was a female crew member on a first-class JR train carriage, according to yomiuri.co.jp. The rape occurred April 2 when he showed the crew member, in her 20s, into a restroom.

It is reported that the man also is charged of attempting to rape and injuring another female crew member aboard the train about one week before the rape. This assault also took place in a restroom on board the train.

"I knew female crew members were present in the first-class carriages and so I targeted them. I thought no one would notice because few passengers rode the train at that hour," the man is reported to admit.

Just a scratch

UK-- Five years after he committed an attempted rape near a Norwich Cathedral, a man has been convicted largely thanks to DNA evidence. This is according to eveningnews24.co.uk.

The assault happened in June 2003, when the 36-year-old man attacked and tried to rape a woman. The intended victim got away when she lashed out at the attempted rapist and scratched the man's face.

In October 2007, the Southampton man was stopped for a minor motoring offence. Officers took his DNA at the police station after the man became abusive, according to reports. That DNA was found to match samples lifted from the woman's fingernails in the 2003 assault.

Kudos to this woman for fighting back! Her actions has ensured that this offender is now off the streets.

Your home, your castle?

Your home may not always be your castle.

Now I'm not saying it is dangerous to be at home - far from it. What I am saying is that we tend to worry about sexual assaults by strangers outside - and forget that we are basically at greater risks at home.

You can read more about the statistical evidence and other facts here.

Stories:
In a North Philadelphia neighborhood, several sex assaults and burglaries occurred during one week, according to myfoxphilly.com. Over three days, three women were attacked, according to reports.

Police said each of the assaults happened in the early morning hours against women, alone at their residences. In each of the cases, the attackers reportedly entered the homes through unlocked doors or screened windows.

Also, a 40-year-old woman told how a man followed her into her apartment building in Center City (Philadelphia) around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. The suspect allegedly forced her to the ground and choked her. He also threatened to kill her and attempted to sexually assault her. The intended victim was able to fight the assailant off, police said.

In an earlier case from Philadelphia (July, 2007), two women were sexually assaulted in upscale Philadelphia neighborhoods. Police believed the attackers entered the homes through open doors.

"I'm shocked because it's always been a safe neighborhood," another woman said at the time.

Clever

New Jersey -- A man police say may be responsible for a string of sexual assaults in South Jersey have been arrested, according to myfoxphilly.com.

Several women reportedly have been lured to a vacant home in rural Salem County. A suspect then raped or attempted to rape them inside the home, officials said.

Thursday night, a woman was able to get away with a crucial piece of evidence. A neighbor said "She broke his glasses to get away from him and she said he couldn't see, so he wasn't able to come after her."

When police arrived at the scene, they found the suspect looking for glasses which had been taken off his face by the intended victim.

A very cautious girl

"I'm a very cautious girl," this assault victim says. If that's the case, then it scares me to even think what being less cautious implies.
I mean, having your head down, and listening to your voicemail outside a nightspot at closing time... Oh yes, very cautious indeed!

Story:
In Springfield, Missouri, police are investigating a spate of downtown attacks on a women, according to ky3.com .

The latest assault occurred on Saturday, April 26. According to reports, there have been at least five reports of attacks in or near downtown since the beginning of 2008. The victims have been women in all but one incident.

The woman who reported the latest attack said it happened on a sidewalk. She had just stepped outside the nightclub just around closing time.

In three similar incidents, the victims said they were outside downtown nightclubs right after closing times.

"I never would have thought it could happen in just a little couple seconds that that took to happen," the Saturday assault victim said in an interview.

"I'm a very cautious girl; all my friends are," she said. But that wasn't enough to keep her out of danger. "I did have my head down listening to my voicemail and next thing led to another and I turned around and there he was," she said.

The woman says she just left the nightclub as it was closing down. She came around a corner to listen to her voicemail. She was alone and that's when she says the attacker pinned her hands above her head with one of his hands, then used his other hand to assault her.

The woman says she screamed for help and a stranger from across the street ran over to help. When he did, the attacker ran off.

Other victims haven't been as fortunate according to reports. Three similar incidents reported to police have much in common. They were all after closing, all outside downtown bars, all reported rapes and all listed a popular nightspot as a place where victims had been earlier in the evening.

"Twist and shout"

Yes - that's what it is called - the ball squeeze... You, grab and twist - he'll most likely shout (you get the picture)!
And this is by no means a "ladies only" technique. If you've got the balls for it (sorry, bad pun...) also guys have used this attention grabber (another bad pun...).

Anyway, here are a couple of practical applications:

South Africa -- A woman told police he had attacked at about 4:30 p.m. Monday in her field between two villages near the Swaziland border in Mpumalanga.

The 53-year-old villager was busy weeding her field when a man appeared and allegedly ordered her to go undress under a nearby tree.

The woman refused and the man threatened to stone her and then physically dragged her to the tree. The two fell to the ground and struggled, until the woman was able to get on top of him and grab his testicles.

When the man surrendered, she ran for help.

Ohio -- Police in Warren said a man kidnapped a 32-year-old woman at 6:15 p.m. Thursday - then attempted to sexually assault her.

According to police reports, the woman parked toward the rear of the parking lot at the main library to drop off books. She told police her van was left unlocked while she ran inside the library (great idea...).

When she got back into the van, a man placed a knife to the woman's side and forced her to drive to Packard Park. The perpetrator forced the woman to the floor of the van and began cutting off her clothes and undressing himself.

The woman was reportedly cut on her shoulder, arms and leg. She managed to escape the would-be rapist by grabbing his groin and twisting until he ran off.

More quick thinking

I seriously wonder what goes to these guys head? Do they think that flashing a knife, and attempting to rape someone is romance?

Story:
Philippines -- Police said a driver allegedly tried to rape a 27-year-old woman in his taxi on Saturday night in Quezon City (Manila).

The woman told investigators how she boarded the taxi at around 8 p.m. Saturday. Soon, all the passengers, except for her, got off at the Metro Rail Transit station in Kamuning.

"The woman was sitting in the back seat, and the driver asked her to sit beside him in the front," a police spokesman said.

When she did so, the woman said the driver showed a knife, and started to touch her breasts.

The woman said she told the man that she would go with him to a hotel if they could eat first at a fast food diner nearby.

Inside the restaurant, the woman promptly asked the security guard for help. The driver managed to run back to his van and escaped. Police believe that the driver also had victimized other female passengers.

A fight for life

It is worth repeating; someone who believe they are fighting for their life has a tremendous amount of strength. The same goes if you decide you will not be taken down.
Is it always possible to fight back, or is it always wise to fight back? Of course not. Still, stories like this one here is a reminder of our possibilities in what may be called a worst case scenario.

Story
Canada.com reported about a 53-year-old convicted robber and rapist who attempted to rob a convenience store in Windsor, Ontario. Using a fake gun, plus a rather odd disguise made up of wig, heart-shaped shades, cowboy hat and fake beard - he lost what was referred to as a violent struggle with the 34-year-old diminutive female clerk.

A superior court judge told how the clerk thought she was going to be raped and perhaps killed. Lacerated and bloody, she believed she was fighting for both her sexual integrity and her life, the court heard.

The case prosecutor said the woman "fought valiantly" against the man. He struck the woman and held her down. But she fought back, scratching and biting the assailant, leaving "telltale marks" that police saw when he was later arrested.

The attempted robbery and rape failed because the female clerk got the better of a much larger, heavier and stronger man, the judge said.

The man walked into the store in September 2005 and demanded the keys to the place from the clerk, so that he could lock them both inside. The court was told how the man, in addition to his disguise and weapon, had a bag filled with duct tape, a knife and fake bomb.

A police report explained how the woman struggled the fake gun away from the attacker and actually hit him with it.The man fled the store after the fight, leaving his bag behind.

Her wits about her

Very resourceful actions from this woman!

Story:
Florida -- A 76-year-old East Naples woman was able to outwit an intruder who was trying to rape her Sunday night nbc-2.com reports.

The woman left her bathroom after taking a shower around 8:30 p.m. when a man attacked her from behind.

The man allegedly forced her to the floor and tied up the woman's hands. He covered her eyes and then attempted to rape her.

The woman told officials while she was trying to reason with her attacker she was able to activate her medical alert bracelet and told him that police were on the way.

She said she was able to free herself and ran to a neighbor's house. The suspect took off.

Bait and switch

This method is quite often used by scam and fraud "artists". The classic case is to have you believe you buy an original, say, watch - and then switch to a fake once you have handed over your money.

As with most methods, it can be turned and utilised against the criminal. Here is one such case.
It also goes to show that these folks are not always the sharpest knife in the drawer...

Story:
Philippines -- Police say a taxi driver allegedly tried to rape a 27-year-old woman inside his cab on Saturday night in Quezon City (Manila), according to newsinfo.inquirer.net.

The woman reportedly told police how she boarded a taxi at around 8 p.m. Saturday. Shortly after, all the other passengers got off at the Metro Rail Transit station in Kamuning.

"The woman, who was in the back seat, said the driver asked her to sit beside him," a police spokesman said. When she did so, the woman said the driver took out a knife, pointed it at her and started touching her breasts.

The woman said she told the man that she would go with him to a hotel if they could eat first at a nearby fast food restaurant. While inside the restaurant, the victim quickly asked the security guard for help but the driver managed to run back to his van and take off.

"Safe" at home

It is a fact that most sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows, or have met prior to the crime.
And even when there is a stranger element involved, there is a greater possibility that the victims are being assaulted at, or close to, their own home.
By studying several thousand such cases - see 'women can' for more info - I can attest to the "incidents" described below. Mind you, these are just some recent, totally random examples.

Stories:
(February 7) Fayetteville, North Carolina -- A 29-year-old woman reported that a man broke into her condominium and raped her on January 26 2008.
Police are not linking that incident to three that were reported in the same area over an 18-month period, according to fayobserver.com.
The most recent of the linked cases happened in September 2007 when a 21-year-old woman said a man broke into her home and raped her.
A 45-year-old woman told police a man broke into her home and raped her in February 2007.
A man grabbed a 23-year-old woman from behind as she was jogging and raped her in August 2006.
Because of the ongoing investigation, police are not saying how they linked the three cases or give details of any of the incidents.

(February 4) New Jersey -- Point Pleasant Beach police say a man broke into a home on Saturday and attempted to sexually assault a woman at knifepoint, app.com reports.
The attacker fled, and the victim ran to the house of a neighbor, who called the police. She was treated for her injuries at a medical center and later released, police said.

(February 7) Washington, D.C. -- msnbc.msn.com reports about a man who entered a building on Monday at about 10 a.m. by ringing a woman's door buzzer from the outside of the building and telling her he was looking for an apartment to rent.
The man then reportedly sexually assaulted the woman inside her residence.

(February 7, 2008) -- An unidentified man targeted a 19-year-old Arizona State University, Tempe student living in an apartment complex located near the University according to abc15.com.
Investigators believe the suspect used the porch of the ground level apartment to climb into the porch of the second floor unit.
Investigators say the man got on top of the young woman, but she fought back, biting him and then he disappeared into the large complex. The 19-year-old student received minor injuries during the attempted sexual assault.

Personal alarm

Swedish media reports about 15-year-old girl who was assaulted by an unknown man in Oerebro.

The man, described as 25 - 30 years of age, allegedly attempted to rape the teenager on Sunday at around 9:45 p.m.

The girl reportedly managed to set off her personal alarm, scaring the masked attacker off.

'I-knee-do' #2

As you may know by now, 'I-knee-do' refers to the art of gently (kind of...) placing (sort of...) your knee where it's likely to hurt. This 'way of the harmonious knee' should only be used on folks who totally asks for it - kind of like they 'kneed it' (bad pun, I know) :-)

Story:
A 23-year-old Missouri woman was able to fight off a would-be-rapist in Kansas City by kneeing him in the groin, according to kansascity.com.

The woman said she was grabbed by a stranger about 9 p.m Thursday night and pushed into an alley.

The attacker reportedly pushed the young woman to the ground and fondled her. He also rubbed against her and attempteded to take off her shirt and pants.

After about 10 minutes og struggling with the man, she used her knee. The attacker then limped away and the woman could call police.

Illegal cabs again

Don't mind jumping into an illegal cab after a night out? What's the problem you say?

Well, let us use Oslo, my town in Norway as an example. Just in a couple of days there has been reported several instances of rape and other serious criminal activities involving illegal taxi drivers. One driver alone was recently accused of three sexual assaults against drunk, young female victims.

Then there's another case where a 41-year-old woman was raped and robbed. As if the sexual trauma is not enough, the travel insurance company have refused to pay the woman for the values she was robbed of.

Why? They claim the victim is to blame by getting into an illegal cab under the influence of alcohol.

Even if this may be a tough call, it points to the very real dangers of getting into one of these vehicles - if anything happens, you're basically on your own.

Lame excuses #5

Today, in our series "It wasn't me - It was Mr Pee", we present you with an all too common tendency of blaming the victim: "She wanted it". After all we know it's never the perpetrator's fault, right?
Jeez...

Story:
A 27-year-old man allegedly attempted to rape a female leasing agent who was showing him an apartment in O'Fallon Lakes, Missouri, according to kctv5.com.

The man reportedly went to the apartment complex Sunday to inquire about an apartment. As the agent showed the man around, he blocked the front door and attempted to rape her, according to police.

The woman managed to escape by struggling and screamed for help.

And here comes the "I'm totally lame, and it shows" part:

This genius allegedly told authorities he had looked at the apartment with his wife the day before and "believed the agent was sending him signals that she wanted to have sex."

Rape facts

Some people may perhaps still believe that rape often times involve some perverted stranger jumping out from behind bushes late at night.

The figures below should indeed points to the undisputible, statistical facts that the assault rape by some "lurking weirdo" is not as prevalent as one might be led to believe by watching the news.

Of course, assault rape by total strangers do happen ... in fact you may read about hundreds upon hundreds of such cases in my e-book series: Women Can. And these are only cases where women fought back successfully.

Still, most rapes and attempted rapes are done by someone the victim knows, like a neighbour. And even though the below story is from India, it is really universal in nature.

Story:
India -- Figures collected from different police stations in Surat show that neighbours were involved in 23 out of the 45 rape or rape attempt cases registered during 2007. Girls aged between three and 15 were victims in 18 of the cases.

Neighbours were followed by other close acquaintances such as friends, who were involved in six cases. In three cases, rickshaw drivers were found to be involved, while the crime was committed in one case each by a tenant and a landlord.

Lover and to-be husband were found involved in two rape cases, while the father of a victim was the guilty in one case. The accused in four of the cases have not been identified so far, the police records show.

A police spokesman said that such cases are taking place not only in Surat, but are a common occurrence all over the country. He further said in many cases victim's neighbours or other acquaintances were involved as victims are in regular contact with them.