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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Olivia Williams

Woman scared to walk alone after man follows her in car from Lidl

A woman said she is now wary of walking alone after she claims a man followed her in his car while she was on a walk.

Fenella Muldoon from Prenton, was on out on Sunday at around 7pm, when she was walking along on Oxton Road in Birkenhead.

The 25-year-old said while on the familiar route she noticed a man in a Vauxhall Astra had "slowed down" as he got near to her.

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She said she looked round to see if he had stopped his car to which he did.

Fenella told the ECHO : "I usually go for a walk in the evening because I work from home and you need to get your exercise in.

"I live in Prenton which is not too far from Oxton and Birkenhead, and I usually take a walk down there as it is familiar to me.

"I was walking up a road called Oxton Road, which is quite a main road in Birkenhead, and I was coming up and this guy was heading towards Birkenhead and I was walking in the opposite direction.

"He slowed down when he got near to me, it was strange.

"I turned around to see if he was stopping his car and he did, and then I just kept on walking, he turned around, drove up and he slowed down really close to me.

"He was on the opposite side the road to me to me now as he was obviously going in the same direction I was.

"There is a car park there for a Lidl and he pulled into there and was sort of driving around the whole car park loads of times."

Fenella said after she made her decision on which way to go at the crossroads, the man reportedly pulled out of the supermarket car park and once again started following her.

She added: "There is a crossroads and multiple traffic lights and I don't know if he was trying to see which direction I was going to go in.

"I stood at the crossroads and as soon as I made my decision on which way I was going to go, he pulled out the car park and drove in the same direction.

"There's an alleyway and he pulled into the alleyway and his car was parked there and I had to cross over the alleyway to get on the other side of the road.

"But I knew if I did, I was thinking 'god what if he gets out the car' so I stopped in the road and then he got out the car and was looking, so then I crossed over and started walking.

"Then he pulls out and drives away, so I am walking up to Oxton Village and then I see him and he drives up there."

Fenella said in her panic during the incident she had lost something and wanted to retrace her steps, only to find the man "pulled over again".

The 25-year-old added: "I realised I lost something out my pocket, it was my mask bag, so I wanted to retrace my steps so I went back, stupidly, and he was there again.

"Luckily by chance, he pulled over again in the middle of a road and was waiting and had his hazard lights on."

Fenella said she carried on walking but was "really scared" by the unsettling incident.

However, luckily she stumbled on her sister who was in the area and who was able to give her a lift home.

Speaking about the incident, Fenella said: "I am quite street smart and I always walk around that area and I have done lots of different types of work, so I know how to protect myself.

"After while, I thought 'I am getting really, really nervous now.' I don't like to make a big deal out of things but stuff like that have happened before quite a few times around there.

"But that specific situation was quite alarming because it seemed like he was extremely persistent."

She added the situation has now put her off walking alone at night.

Fenella said: "It's definitely put me off going out at that time in the dark, especially at that time.

"To be honest I usually walk later than I was, but it was only 7pm and it makes you realise that you can't be yourself and walk around as a woman at night time.

"It's just one of those things you have to accept sadly and it's so frustrating because I feel strongly about women's rights and the protection of women, but it is so hard in those situations."

Fenella took to social media to warn others about the incident, she described the man as around 35 to 45 years old, bald and driving a white Vauxhall Astra.

Her post sparked dozen of comments from people shocked at the incident and offering their support to Fenella.

Since speaking to the ECHO, the 25-year-old has now reported the incident to Merseyside Police.

Merseyside Police was approached for a statement regarding this incident.

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