Forget sharks. Women in Halifax are finding it’s not safe to go in the water for an even more unsettling reason.
For the past five years, Robin Johnson has found solace and peace in her regular swims at Williams Lake or Tea Lake—also known as Purcell’s Pond. It was her way of erasing the stresses of the day and getting some time to commune with nature.
That all changed on the evening of Aug 15, when she hiked the 15 minutes into Tea Lake with her French bulldog, Clarence. As she approached the water, she noticed a man standing on the shore, completely naked, but with his back turned to her.
“A lot of people change when they get out of the water, so I wasn’t too concerned about it,” said Johnson in a phone interview with The Coast. “Plus, Clarence was really hot and thirsty and we just needed to get in the water.”
As they were swimming, Johnson noticed that the man had moved to a rock close to where she left her belongings and, with a towel wrapped around his waist, he sat with his legs spread open exposing his testicles and penis.
“I was obviously very freaked out, but I didn’t want to give it any attention, so I didn’t look. I just wanted to get Clarence and I out of the water safely,” said Johnson.
After emerging from the water and gathering her clothes to leave, she saw that the man was now masturbating with his camera held out in her direction.
“That’s when I got really scared,” said Johnson, remembering that she was a good 15 minute hike into the woods, alone with the man. “I have experienced sexual violence before, so I was trying not to panic.”
As she made the hike back out of the woods towards her car, the man followed closely and she could hear his footsteps behind her. When they finally emerged, she went to her car and figured his was the only other car left parked by hers—she wanted to get a picture of his license plate, but his car was actually hidden in the woods.
“I took a picture of him, but just got the back of him,” said Johnson. “But I sent it to a friend that also swims at these lakes and she said she recognized the picture as the exact same guy that had masturbated in front of her while she was swimming at Williams Lake.”
The next day, Johnson contacted Halifax Regional Police (HRP) to report the incident and was told that unless he was caught in the act, there was very little they could do.
“It just makes me so mad that a woman can’t even feel safe going for a swim in a public place anymore, ” said Johnson. “Now I feel like I have to bring my partner with me for protection and that’s just so unfair.”
When The Coast reached out the HRP for comment on the incident, they said that Johnson had waited a day to report, which made the odds of catching the man nearly impossible.
“The reason I didn’t call 911 in the moment was because I was in the woods and I was scared for my life. Plus, I didn’t feel like they would do anything” said Johnson. “I called the non-emergency police line the day after and left a message and I didn’t hear back from a police officer for three days. And when I did speak to them, they said to call if I see him naked again.”
“We encourage anyone who witnesses or experiences something similar to contact police as soon as possible. This gives officers the best opportunity to locate and speak with a suspect while they may still be in the area,” said the HRP spokesperson Cst. Martin Cromwell. “If a suspect has already left, any information that may help identify them can be valuable, including video or images, a licence plate, or the make and model of a vehicle.”
If you recognize the man in the picture, please contact HRP immediately.
“Unless he was caught in the act.” He WAS caught in the act. Twice. by two different witnesses. Are they saying that there is nothing they can do unless he masturbates at a police officer instead?