9NewsA young mother returning home from her morning walk has been groped on the bottom by a random stranger, who said he ‘couldn’t resist the best arse’.
Jesse Ratu, 24, was unlocking the door to her Southport apartment on the Gold Coast on Sunday when a man allegedly approached her from behind and grabbed her backside five times.
You can watch the alleged assault occur in the CCTV footage below:
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The man smiled into cameras after performing the ‘disgusting’ assault, which was captured on CCTV footage outside the front of the building.
The terrified woman said she told the man ‘don’t f***ing touch me’ before running inside and telling her partner, Brendan Wilson, about the disgusting display of male chauvanism.
The mother-of-two claims the man failed to excuse his behaviour by saying:
Sorry, I just had to do it, you have the best arse.
9NewsThe sales assistant said despite Mr Wilson running outside to confront the man, the offender had already fled the area.
Ms Ratu remembered feeling too scared to turn back out of fear she would be picked up and ‘stolen’, and said she now felt too traumatised to walk outside alone.
Ms Ratu told 9News:
We’ve only been here for six months. We’re now thinking about moving. I’ve always lived in Southport but never lived down this end.
I shouldn’t really be worried to walk in my own street, so I probably won’t be doing that anymore.
9NewsAn image of the man, who is described to be of African descent, about 1.8m with facial hair and short black hair, has been sent out to police in the area and anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Jesse’s story is the latest in a string of blatant cases of alleged street harassment, at the hands of men who supposedly couldn’t help themselves.
The excuse Ratu claims her aggressor used is offensive and patronising to the idea of female body autonomy – as well as the many men out there who are capable of controlling their occasional sexual urges well enough to not inflict serious trauma upon innocent passersby like Jesse.
ViralHogUNILAD recently spoke to Madeline Anello-Fitzmiller, who was victim of groping at a festival in New Zealand.
Reveller, Giann Reece, told UNILAD she was taking a video of the site and incidentally filmed a man as he grabbed Anello-Fitzmiller’s breast at the Rhythm & Vines festival in Gisborne, on New Zealand’s North Island.
Reece filmed the assault, which left the perve regretting his actions:
[ooyal[ooyala player_id=”5df2ff5a35d24237905833bd032cd5d8" auto=”true” width=”640" height=”1142" pcode=”twa2oyOnjiGwU8-cvdRQbrVTiR2l” code=”F5dW10ZDE6jpG2TkcEA3ZL3cQAGmO27Q”]p>Madeline was forced to defend herself and then explain her retaliation, telling UNILAD:
What happened is, he came up behind me and cupped my breast and ran away, seemingly like he’d done it to show off to his friends.
I was at a bar fully clothed a couple months ago and someone grabbed me in a similar way and all the men and women around me instantly targeted him and he was thrown out of the club in less than five minutes.
I swore to myself, the next person who did that, I would fight back – which is exactly what happened in the video.
SuppliedDespite receiving some backlash for defending her body, Madeline added:
I’m proud of myself and grateful for the positive support but disappointed nobody around him reacted or thought to stop him.
I hope women feel empowered to stick up for themselves, because sometimes nobody else will.
Women have been treated as objects for so long and I’m just tired of the harassment and double standards, so I’m glad the video was posted because it’s important for other women to see they can stick up for themselves.
I had the best time at that festival and this accident was merely a bump in the road – I didn’t cover up afterwards and stayed out all night.
I hope this inspires people to speak openly about the importance of equality as well as understand just how unfortunately normalised sexual harassment and assault has become.
SuppliedIf you, or someone you know, has been affected by sexual harassment or any sort of sexual harm, help and support is available. Victim Support is an independent charity for victims and witnesses of crime.
They offer free, confidential help to anyone affected by sexual harassment. Call 0808 1689 111 or go to www.victimsupport.org.uk for advice.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.