Brighton Women's Centre boss: Sarah Everard case is 'very close to home'

Lisa Dando, director of Brighton Women's Centre, said the news of the 33-year-old's death had shone a "horrific spotlight" on fears women face walking the streets, particularly at night.

She said: "The distressing news of Sarah Everard has just highlighted further an issue which was already very relevant and brought about a national outpouring of experiences which women live with on a daily basis.

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"I don't think any of us are immune to street harassment and the feeling of not being safe when you go out after dark.

"Certainly I've experienced feeling uncomfortable if someone is approaching me from behind.

"Street lighting is something the local authority really needs to be thinking about as one simple way for women to feel safer."

Lisa Dando, director at Brighton Women's Centre

Ms Dando added that the numerous stories shared online following Ms Everard's death had been "very close to home" and said her partner has previously rushed to help a woman who had been attacked in a Brighton street at night after getting off a bus.

She said: "He heard a woman screaming and found himself in a situation where he had to scare a perpetrator away. She had been grabbed and pulled down a side street.

"This has been very close to home, professionally and personally, for me."

It comes after a report released last week showed 97 per cent of women aged between 18 and 24 said they had been sexually harassed, while 80 per cent of women of all ages said they have experienced some sexual harassment in a public place.

According to the UN Women report, only four per cent of women said they reported the incidents of harassment to an official organisation – with 45 per cent saying they didn’t believe reporting would help change anything.

Ms Dando described the situation as a "distressing state of affairs".

She said: "We know convictions of rape are at an all time low.

Brighton city centre

"What we also saw with Sarah Everard was messages coming from police that women would need to stay indoors while they were investigating.

"Why is it always about women changing their behaviour or dressing a certain way, when actually it should be about addressing male behaviour?

"At the moment it feels like women are fighting this battle in a vacuum and not being heard or understood."

Councillor Hannah Clare, deputy leader of the council, said safety of residents and visitors is the local authority's "first priority".

She said: "We will continue to look into all methods possible to make women feel safe in Brighton and Hove.

“One way we are already addressing this is through our transformational city-wide programme replacing all existing 20,000 street light lanterns with new LED lightbulbs.

“The new lightbulbs are brighter, provide more clarity, and are more energy efficient.

“We have also implemented new lighting throughout the green areas in the new Valley Gardens scheme, to improve both amenity and safety for residents and visitors to the city.

“We also welcome any future improvements we can put in place to make Brighton and Hove safer.”