Roundhay Park: 'Flasher' fears mount as Leeds parkgoers report man exposing himself in broad daylight

There have been numerous incidents of a man exposing himself to walkers in Roundhay Park since at least 2021, according to people who regularly visit the green space.

They told the Yorkshire Evening Post that he has appeared frequently in an area popular with dogwalkers, prompting concerns about women and children visiting the park on their own.

Bernadette Carney, 50, has reported two sightings of the flasher. The first time was in February, when she was walking her dog at a field near to Roundhay Primary School. She said he was naked from the waist down, wearing only a hoodie and a pair of boots. Two months later, she saw him again, and this time, he was completely naked. During both incidents, the man was masturbating.

She reported the sightings to the police, who she said responded within 10 minutes, but the perpetrator still managed to evade capture.

“It’s alarming when you see him, especially when you’re on your own,” said Bernadette. “You don’t know whether he’s going to hide behind a tree and jump out at you. I still walk my dog in the same area, but I’m constantly looking over my shoulder and I’m alert when I hear any ruffles in the trees. It’s not a pleasant or a nice thing.”

On a recent visit to the park, Bernadette said she was told by a police officer that the flasher had expanded the area in which he operates – and suggested that he may have followed a woman on a recent occasion. She added: “Police know the sort of time he operates. They need to send someone to lure him out and then pounce, but I don’t know if they have the manpower or the resources to do that.”

Many other incidents have been shared anecdotally with the Friends of Roundhay Park group, volunteers that help with its maintenance and organise activities to improve its appearance.

Sara Dawson is the Vice Chair of the group. She said: “A lot of parents tell us that they’re worried about it escalating – many of them have young girls and are worried about them going into the park on their own.

“Personally, I don’t feel safe to run around the park on my own after a certain time. I don’t really want to go through the woods on my own anymore, either. As a parent, I wouldn’t necessarily feel happy about my kids walking through there. My husband can run through the woods as he likes without fearing anything and it’s just grossly unfair.”

West Yorkshire Police has been asked to comment.

It comes as frequent visitors say that antisocial behaviour at Roundhay Park is at a high, with graffiti scrawled across a Grade-II listed structure, dozens of dumped gas cannisters being collected by litter pickers, and even “well-filled nappies dumped in trees”, on top of several other incidents.