A woman from Cheltenham has spoken out about her experience with Gloucestershire Police, claiming that they only took action after she posted about the incident on TikTok. Saskia Ponting reported being verbally abused and followed by a group of teenage boys and young men on 28 May, but was told three days later that the case would be closed.
After Ponting shared her experience on TikTok on 1 June, police contacted her to ask for permission to launch a public appeal. The police have since admitted that a 'mistake' was made and agreed that the case should have been taken further when it was first reported.
Ponting has criticised the police for their handling of the case, saying that the escalation of the investigation was '100%' due to her speaking out on social media. She has also expressed disappointment at the lack of empathy from the police and the victim blaming she experienced.
The police have appealed to businesses in the area to share any relevant CCTV and are encouraging any other women who may have been targeted by the group to come forward. The group are described as being white, aged between 16 and 18 or possibly older, with brown hair, and being about 5ft 8ins (1.72m) in height.
Gloucestershire Police have said that incidents are assessed according to 'threat, harm and risk', as well as potential lines of inquiry. In this case, the officer prematurely closed the case without allocating it to an officer to investigate.