London, Nov 3 (AFP/APP):On a dark autumn evening, first-timers arriving for self-defence classes at Urban Fit and Fearless are asked if they have had any past traumas before they start training.
After a series of high-profile murders of women in London in recent months, the number of young female participants joining the class is high.
One of them, Laura Thompson, a 29-year-old account manager, told AFP: “I think a lot of women at the moment, especially living in London, are pretty shaken up.
“I know a lot of friends that openly talk about how worried they are or how they don’t feel safe.
“It’s definitely in the back of my mind and I think something like this is definitely going to help.”
The disappearance of Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, as she walked home in south London in March sparked renewed anger and concern about women’s safety.
A serving Metropolitan Police officer later admitted her kidnap, rape and murder, and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Everard’s murder came nearly a year after two sisters, Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, were stabbed to death by a man in a Satanic-inspired attack in a northwest London park.
In September, a schoolteacher, Sabina Nessa, was found dead in another park, in the southwest of the British capital. A man has since been charged with her murder.
Follow the PNI Facebook page for the latest news and updates.
