Parents are warning people to be vigilant around a West Footscray park after witnessing a man touching himself as he watched children play.
A concerned mother said she was with her two children in Gaudion Reserve on Barkly Street about 4.30pm last Thursday when she noticed a man in his late 40s or 50s approaching the playground.
“My instincts alerted me that there was something peculiar once I saw him take a seat on the grassed area closer to the playground equipment,” said the mother, who asked not to be named.
“It was fairly obvious that he had one hand placed on his pelvic area. For the rest of the time we were there, he moved around the park a few times to lay at different spots, all the while holding his jacket around his pelvic area while he was walking.”
The mother also noticed he would take his mobile to his ear as if receiving and making calls, but she never heard him talk or heard the phone ring or saw him dial.
“I couldn’t be sure if this man was there taking photographs of kids with his phone.”
When she arrived home about 6pm, she called Footscray police station to report the incident.
“I raised my concerns about what I had seen and told them that I was fearful for the kids that were there on their own without their parents,” she said.
“I asked them if they could swing past and just monitor what was going on, as I was left feeling very uncomfortable with the situation.”
The mother shared her concerns via social media with a local neighbourhood group and discovered other parents who had seen the man in the park as early as 2pm had also been alarmed.
“So that’s at least 4 ½ hours that he was at the park alone. As far as I am concerned this male was acting strange, his actions at the park was inappropriate behaviour.”
Victoria Police senior constable Alistair Parsons said police attended the park following reports of a suspicious man loitering in the area.
“Officers arrived at the Barkly Street park about 6.50pm on Thursday, 10 November and spoke to the man in a nearby vehicle,” he said.
“Police are making further enquiries into the incident and the investigation is ongoing.”
Victoria Police would recommend reporting all suspicious activity to police, either by calling triple zero (000) or contacting your local police station.
