Lewd sex crimes in Endcliffe Park have prompted a councillor to issue a plea for more men to stand up and protect vulnerable people in distress.

On Saturday (1 March), South Yorkshire Police received reports that a man had exposed himself and committed a lewd act in front of a 21-year-old woman.

The incident occurred around 4.50pm near to the footpath that slopes down from Riverdale Road into Endcliffe Park.

Councillor Barbara Masters is ward of the Ecclesall area, which encompasses Endcliffe Park.

Coun Masters said: “If you see a distressed woman, the instinct for men is often to walk away.

“But it’s really important to have the courage to approach people in distress to offer help.”

CCTV in the area captured an image of a man who is described as white, roughly 55-65 years old, around 5ft 10ins tall, of a broad build, and with thick short white hair. He also has a white goatee style beard.

This follows on from multiple reports of a man of a similar description indecently exposing himself in the Ranmoor area in January.  

Martha Day, 19, a student at University of Sheffield, said: “It makes me feel more vulnerable. When I go out on a run now, I feel less safe.”

Sheffield intersectional feminist group, Our Bodies Our Streets (OBOS), have been campaigning for improved lighting in the city’s parks since 2021.

OBOS wrote in their petition: “Women and marginalised people still feel unsafe due to the lack of lighting in our parks, and experience heightened vulnerability to being followed or sexually assaulted.

“This is stopping us from accessing green spaces after 4pm in winter.”

Councillor Masters addressed the benefits of improved lighting and CCTV quality in Sheffield parks, but emphasised the importance of immediate intervention from passers by.

Coun Masters said: “The onus is always on women to take care. These events just make women more wary than ever when venturing out alone.”

PC Sarah Morgan, the officer in charge of the case, said: “We are aware of numerous similar reports at the same location in recent months, and are additionally appealing for anyone with information that could help us to identify a suspect, to come forward.”