Stephanie Barney, 24, was paddleboarding at Liverpool’s Queen’s Dock with a friend when a group of ‘young men’ began hurling abuse at them – and she says passersby did nothing to help
Two friends cried out for assistance following a “traumatic” ordeal at Queen’s Dock in Liverpool on Monday, but were ignored by bystanders.
Stephanie Barney, 24, was paddleboarding alongside a companion, also 24, at the waterfront when a gang of “young men” shouted insults at them before leaping into the water and knocking one of the women off their board.
Stephanie, who relocated to Liverpool from Geneva six years ago, told Liverpool Echo how a group of males, whom she suspects were teenagers, made crude remarks toward them. She said they yelled offensive terms including slag, fat and ugly before shoving her friend into the water and attempting to wreck her phone. Stephanie alleges onlookers then urged the teenagers to continue the harassment.
The 24 year old, who co-founded women’s community group, Girls on the Go, said the episode made them feel frightened and exposed, and they now wish to alert others.
Stephanie explained: “We were on our way back from the Albert Dock to the centre when around ten – 15 young men, I’d say all under the age of 16, started harassing us and verbally abusing us.
“They then started asking to get on our paddleboards, we said ‘please leave us alone’ but they jumped in the water. Four or five boys grabbed my friend’s paddleboard and started trying to get her off it.
“They started grabbing my board too. There was some bystanders watching on the bridge so we started shouting ‘please can you help us, can you please call someone.’
“We were clearly distressed but they started saying ‘what the f*** do you expect us to do’ and started joining in with the abuse, saying to the boys ‘you should drown the slags.'”
In the end, the boys pushed Stephanie’s friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, into the water. Stephanie decided to record the teenagers so she could report the incident to the police.
She expressed: “It was crazy, nobody helped us at all. I was mostly horrified by the adults just watching, we were screaming and crying for help but they just watched. It was quite traumatic.
“After they got my friend off the board they grabbed her paddle and wouldn’t let it go, they were taunting her. Then they started trying to destroy my phone and were shouting more abuse.”
She added: “I know we are both 24 year old girls but it was still so intimidating having these men ganging up on us. We don’t feel comfortable ever going back there. It made us feel so small, powerless and scared. For the rest of the day we felt deflated.”
Stephanie posted a brief video of the incident online which has encouraged other women, who have experienced similar incidents in the Liverpool docks, to come forward.
A representative for Local Solutions, the owners of Liverpool Watersport Centre, expressed: “We were very concerned to hear about this incident and are saddened that anyone should have such an experience while visiting Liverpool Watersports Centre. As soon as it was reported, our staff responded and apologized directly to those affected.
“The safety and enjoyment of our visitors is always our top priority. We are proud of the positive work we do to engage with young people across Liverpool through mentoring and outreach, and thousands of families, schools and community groups use our facilities safely each year.
“Unfortunately, during hot weather a small minority of individuals gather along the dockside and sometimes behave in an antisocial way. While this is not unique to the Watersports Centre, we recognize the impact it can have on visitors and we are reviewing additional measures to help avoid such confrontations in the future.
“We remain committed to making Liverpool Watersports Centre an inclusive, welcoming and safe space for everyone to enjoy.”
Stephanie reported the incident to Merseyside Police. Local Policing Inspector Laura Chandler stated: “We are aware of a video being shared online and inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of what happened and if any offenses occurred.
“If you have any information about this incident, you can call 101 or DM @MerPolCC on social media.”