Is wolf-whistling a sex crime?

A headmaster I once knew could never look you in the eye when he spoke to you; instead he stared - and spoke to - your bosom!

I wasn't aware that he touched her though rosequartz ?

Silly of him. Even childish, I appreciate but hardly a sex crime.

Correction: I was surprised one of the other builders did NOT tell him to leave her alone

I agree VQ what next? Smiling at someone?

No I'm not related to him nor do I know him.

I'm just sad that the fight for equality has got to the stage where a wolf whistle can be called sexual harassment.

GT I too would be ashamed of any man I know behaving in this way and I mentioned in a previous post that I was surprised one of the other builders told him to leave her alone. It is a bit worrying that 'pack mentality' could take over.
DS attempted to remonstrate with a man once (when he was quite young) when a bloke was harrassing his own (bloke's) girlfriend. He got shoved against a wall and a black eye for his trouble. However, that wouldn't deter him from coming to the rescue of a girl or woman in distress.

To answer the OP , no I don't think a wolf whistle is a sex crime, annsixty but this yob (backward boy) went further than that and was harrassing her and preventing her going about her lawful business in a threatening way which is a crime.
He might be a 'family man' now but I wouldn't like him to be part of my family.

Just because the police do not investigate incidents does not mean that a crime has not been committed - as is reported in the media almost daily.

A month is certainly a long time to put up with something she hated so much before doing anything proactive about it. I'm not blaming her saying that. I can't know what she was feeling or how it affected her but a month is a long time if it was that bad. Which sows seeds of, not doubt, but puzzlement in my mind.

I agree with iam and GT but I also get where vamp is coming from. I can follow her reasoning and I find it rational even if I don't altogether agree and bits of it... no, bits of the case... leave me feeling uncomfortable. Some of the more angry-seeming posts from the other side of the discussion also leave me feeling uncomfortable.

The point, for instance that the company did not have time to do anything about the complaint before the police were involved is somewhat discomfitting to me.

Also, if the police are not charging the man or men it could be because they feel in law that there is no case, not that they are sexist twats. The law may be at fault rather than the police.

If he is such a good family man, how come he is whistling at girls in the street. Showing off to his mates? Some men do revert to stone age hunting packs when in a group.

Yes, she should have contacted the firm sooner, to get it stopped before it went any further, but she didn't. Probably thought she would be considered a silly girl! She was right, and that is why women don't "make a fuss"

I think I would have felt intimidated by a group of macho males at 23 (or since) or even one lone one if he stepped into my path.

I suspect the video is a reconstruction. Artists impression and all that.

Absolutely petallus and Iam. I would be horrified and ashamed of any man I knew who even thought this behaviour was acceptable let alone participated in it. And I don't know any women who would accept this bevaviour let alone regard it as a compliment. As for the whole 'crime' thing. The police investigated and had words. This sort of behaviour is on a spectrum and didn't reach the threshold - that does not make it acceptable but it did make it worthy of reporting because left alone, escalation is always possible. VQ are you related to this young man?

* vampirequeen* you seem to bend over backwards to give the men the benefit of the doubt whilst doing just the opposite for the woman concerned. For instance you say 'she's had her 15 minutes of fame' which suggests the woman is motivated by the wish for publicity.

It seems like an automatic bias against women. Or at least this woman.

I'm not condoning his previous behaviour just pointing out that being drunk and stupid 5 years ago does not automatically make him a threat to women today. It doesn't say anything about the other men involved so I guess they don't have an interesting past to keep the story going.

I've watched the video and apart from one wolf whistle I can't see anything else happening.

She only told the company on the day she reported it to the police so it's not as if the company had time to do anything about it. The police are not investigating or taking it any further. Are we saying the police are sexist too or is it that no crime was committed?

I don't have sons but I do have grandsons and nephews, as well as a husband, lots of male relatives and friends. I don't know any male of any age who would behave in a way that could possibly cause alarm or distress to any female (or male come to that)

The way in which the men have been defended and the young woman castigated on this thread has shocked me. How would posters who do have sons/nephews/much male friends/relatives feel if they behaved in this way. A group of men, enjoying themselves by harassing a young woman. The issue about whether this was a criminal offence matters much less than the fact these men behaved very badly indeed.

Well said GrannyTwice.

Why on earth do some women do this?

The straight answer to the question may well be a technical no but the issue goes far beyond that.

Annsixty-I hope you read this. Stripping this back to basics your original question was ' is wolf whistling a sex crime?' Straight answer to that question is 'no'.

I was not a quivering wreck. I was angry. Maybe the young woman this thread is about was angry too and that's what took her to the police and the papers. She has my respect in that case.

GrannyTwice A brilliant summing up .

thatbags I actually feel that man's actions were deliberately designed to terrorise you and I can hardly believe that an incident of that nature didn't fall within any crime category. I wonder if it would now? What sort of twisted individual would think such behaviour could appropriately be described as a "joke". You must be made of stern stuff - I think I would have been a quivering wreck for some time after such a horrible fright.

You seem to believe everything he says and attribute the best of intentions to him whilst castigating the young woman.

Who on earth said he was a potential rapist? He's a badly behaved idiot with no respect for women. Why on earth are you defending him?

He was drunk and stupid. He holds his hands up and admits he was a trouble maker. Five years on he's a family man who has never been in trouble since.

Being a drunk, stupid, trouble maker doesn't make him a potential rapist.

(1) A person is guilty of affray if he uses or threatens unlawful violence towards another and his conduct is such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his personal safety.

hummmm - clearly affray is not a threat to anyone, including women

I really am lost for words. I clearly live in a different universe from that inhabited by some posters on this thread and much prefer mine.

Whilst not making him a perfect citizen, being in prison for affray is not the same as being a threat to women.

One of the men involved has now called her a 'silly little girl'. He has been in prison for affray - gosh, just the sort of person you would be so well advised to go up to and say ' excuse me but would you mind awfully not upsetting me by wolf whistling , blocking my path. I do realise that I have asked for all this by walking to work on my usual route when I should have changed it to avoid you. And I'm awfully sorry that as a female I have encouraged you to behave in this way. I did speak to my grandma but she says you really meant it as a compliment and that when she was my age she just put up with it. I am so sorry for all the trouble I have caused you by BLOODY EXISTING AS A WOMAN'

That is totally different to the original situation. That is criminal intent,possibly rape or murder. I am going to leave this thread now having got my fingers burnt for taking at face value a headline ,with not much detail, in a national newspaper. I hope not to be so naive again.