A stranger spying on a female student in her halls of residence has been arrested on suspicion of voyeurism.

The man, described as in his 60’s, was pulled away from a ground floor window by campus security at 6:30pm on Friday evening.

A 20 year old female living adjacent to the room said “I was alerted to some weird noises outside of my window and when I went to look, saw two security officers taking a creepy man away from the window below and round to the front of the building and I ran downstairs to the flat below to understand what was happening.

“I could see other flats nearby also trying to see what was going on, it felt almost surreal, nothing I was expecting to happen on a Friday evening”

The man was seen being searched and taken away in handcuffs after being questioned by security and police outside Lawrencefield Apartments at Endcliffe Village

One student who witnessed the incident, said the situation initially appeared controlled.

“It was surprisingly quiet,” he said. “Like they wanted to keep it under control so nothing escalated or people didn’t worry”

The University later confirmed the man had been arrested on suspicion of voyeurism following reports of suspicious behaviour in the area.

The student said he realised the situation was serious when uniformed police became involved.

“Due to the kind of nature of the suspected crime itself, I didn’t feel unsafe but I do feel concerned for my female flatmates”

He added that the incident was not isolated and had similar issues previously but despite this, he said the response from campus security offered reassurance.

“Seeing security apprehend him made me feel like we’re in a safe community because there’s people looking out for us and they are ensuring day and night that bad things aren’t going to happen.”

One student stated she felt relieved with how fast the incident was responded to but wanted to see more deterrents put into place by the University, especially with the grounds being public access. 

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “Shortly after 6pm on Friday 20th January an officer on patrol observed a man acting suspiciously in Endcliffe Crescent, Sheffield.

“Enquiries carried out by the officer led to suspected offences being identified and a 64-year-old man from Sheffield was arrested on suspicion of voyeurism.

“He has since been bailed with conditions not to enter the grounds of any school, college or university campus.

“We are continuing to appeal for information as enquiries progress and anyone who thinks theyt can help is being asked to report online or call 101, quoting incident number 782 of 20 February.”

Following the incident, in an email sent out to students, the University said: “We recognise the concern this situation may cause.

“To provide reassurance to the community at Endcliffe, we have increased the presence of Campus Safety Officers around the area. 

“If you notice any unusual or suspicious behaviour at any time you can contact Campus Security and Security Team via telephone or via the SafeZone App.”

Police enquiries are ongoing and ask if anyone has any information that you think may be relevant to the police enquiry please contact the University Police Officers via email: security@sheffield.ac.uk.