Dannii Pickstock, co-owner of Viking Gym in Hebburn, South Tyneside, is inviting anyone who feels threatened near the Mountbatten Shopping Centre to come into her gym until they feel safe. The 35-year-old was walking her dog on Wednesday morning when a man approached her and said, "I'm here to meet you, Your name is Deena."
When she told him he had the wrong person, he continued to stare at her. Dannii asked him to leave her alone, but he responded by coming closer to her. Fortunately, she was outside the gym she co-owns, and her husband, a bodybuilder, was inside. Even when he went outside and told the man to leave, he just continued to stare at Dannii before eventually leaving the area.
Police investigation underway
Dannii reported the man's behaviour to Northumbria Police, and officers are now investigating. The incident happened at just before 8am. The man then remained in the shopping precinct, where he sat and drank a number of cups of coffee before leaving.
A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: "Just after 8am yesterday we received a report of suspicious activity in the area of Mountbatten Shopping Centre in Hebburn. It was reported that a man had approached a woman and attempted to engage in conversation. When asked to move away, the man is then reported to have refused and followed her towards a nearby premises."
Gym open as safe space
Dannii, a mum-of-one, is urging anyone who feels threatened around the shopping centre to come into her gym. She said: "If anyone else is in that situation and they are near our gym they can feel free to come in for safety. I want everybody to be able to do that whether they are a member or not. If anyone has an unsettled feeling and don't feel safe we are open 6am."
She added: "It has made me feel wary. Everybody just needs to be a bit more aware."
Concern over man's behaviour
Dannii told ChronicleLive she still has no idea what the man wanted or what his intentions might have been, but she found his behaviour very worrying. She explained: "I'm quite a confident person and situations like that don't usually bother me. Usually I can brush situations like that off. But my husband, who isn't exactly a small guy, came out and shouted at him and he didn't get fazed by that at all. He was staring through my husband at me the whole time. That's the concerning thing. My husband was shouting at him for about 10 minutes."
She said: "Luckily he picked the wrong premises, he didn't know I owned the gym. Had it happened further up the road I don't know what I would have done." The police spokeswoman added: "Officers attended and were unable to locate a man matching the description provided. Enquiries are ongoing into the report. Anyone with information should contact us online or submit a report form on our website. Please quote the reference number: NP-20261021-0188."
