A worrying number of non-contact sexual assaults have cropped up in Berkshire over the last three months. 

An alarming number of 'flashing' incidents have affected those living across the county, with six cases having been reported to police over the summer and only one arrest. 

One such incident was when a man flashed himself to a woman outside a pub in Newbury on Wednesday, September 18, on the towpath opposite The Swan Pub on London Road.

Three out of the six cases reported have taken place in Newbury. Others have reported flashing incidents in Crowthorne, and Henley. 

Just two weeks ago a shoe-less man exposed himself in Maidenhead, and we are still yet to hear about an arrest being made. The police have been contacted for an update. 

Speaking directly to a victim of such an assault, who will not be named for legal reasons, she said that a man exposed himself to her and her friend earlier this year whilst she was walking to university. 

"I was just walking to campus with my friend and this man dropped his trousers at us," she said. 

"I was shocked, it made me feel pretty violated. I just don't understand why someone would get enjoyment out of doing that." 

The victim went on to say that despite feeling very uncomfortable at the time, she forgot about the incident fairly quickly.

"I think the fact that I brushed it off swiftly shows how normalised non-contact sexual assaults are," she said. "It's really sad, and I do think more attention should be paid to them."

Sadly such incidents are far from new as one Berkshire woman recounts. "The first time it happened to me I was actually a toddler in the early 90s - my mum was pushing me in the pram on Snelsmore Common in Newbury when a man jumped out behind the bushes and exposed himself.

The 34-year-old continued: "I then had another unpleasant incident which unfortunately I do remember years later when I was getting on a train from Hungerford to Newbury with some friends where a man followed us into the same carriage and got his penis out while making lewd remarks to us. 

"My mum did report the crime at the time and it was covered by the local paper but we didn't think to report the man on the train as I didn't think the police would take it seriously. Though now with everything that's happened in recent years, I wouldn't think twice before reporting them. 

She continued: "Indecent exposure is seen as a gateway crime for more severe sexual assaults and it sickens me that it isn't taken more seriously. And it saddens me that in 2024 the vast majority of offenders go unpunished. I think stricter punishments are needed and such individuals should be named and shamed." 

Chief Inspector David Whiteaker, deputy LPA commander for West Berkshire, said that he would like to reassure the public that the police are investigating each incident thoroughly and believe a number of them to be linked.

He went on to say that a 55-year-old man from Swindon has been arrested on suspicion of two counts of outraging public decency and one count each of sexual assault and exposure.

He said “We are also conducting extra patrols in the areas to help provide reassurance to the local communities. All reports of exposure offenses are dealt with seriously and robustly by police.

“I would encourage anybody who has any information about any of the incidents reported to please get in touch with Thames Valley Police."

Another victim said that she felt completely violated after a man publicly masturbated in front of her. 

The incident took place whilst she was sitting with another female on a jetty that went onto a canal. 

"This man just appeared at the end of the jetty and got his penis out and started w****** at us," she said. "It was really surreal, nothing like that had ever happened to me before."

The victim went on to say that as there was no way off the jetty other than past the man, she and her friend felt trapped. 

The assault lasted for over twenty minutes as both women were at a complete loss for what to do, not knowing if the man would be reactive if they shouted at him. 

"I feel that not enough noise is made about this type of sexual assault," she went on to say. "At the time I didn't report what had happened to me as I thought nothing would be done."

On September 25 of this year, Thames Valley Police launched the ‘It Does Matter’ campaign alongside campaigner Lisa Squire who lost her daughter Libby in 2019 when she was at university to a sexual predator with an extensive history of non-contact sexual offences.

The campaign looks to raise awareness about such cases and empower victims to speak up. Please take a look at their website here.