LOOSE Women star Frankie Bridge yesterday revealed she “crumbled” after being pulled over by police in a “terrifying” stop.
The panel discussed the widely panned guidance issued to women by Scotland Yard after the sentencing of Wayne Couzens for the murder of Sarah Everard.
Couzens, who was a serving police officer when he falsely arrested, kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah earlier this year, was handed a whole life sentence.
Police chiefs have since been slammed for recommending women who don’t feel safe while being approached by lone male cops flag down buses or dial 999 to verify if an officer is genuine.
Speaking about her own ordeal, Frankie said: “I’ve been in a situation before where I’ve been pulled over and it was two officers and because I wasn’t aware that I’d done anything wrong.
“I was in a car and I was driving through London. And I thought originally, ‘Well, I haven’t done anything wrong, they must be trying to get past me.’ So I went over to a new lane and they followed me – carried on driving. And then they put their lights on and I thought, ‘Oh gosh, it must be something really bad’.
“I got out of the way again and then I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll turn down this road and – if it’s me that they’re after – they’ll pull down behind me.’ And they did. So I ended up down this dark tiny little alley on my own and these two officers got out and they say I’ve been driving erratically, apparently and breathalysed me, and I hadn’t been drinking or anything.”
The Saturdays singer told how the cops then forced her to clean her number plate.
She continued: “And then they said, oh it’s because my number plate was too dirty and I said, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll get it cleaned straight away.’ And he said, ‘No, I want you to clean it now.’ I was like, ‘Ok, erm, I’ll try and find something in the car.’ All I could find was a scarf that I had and he went, ‘Yep, use that.’
“So I was standing there wiping down my number plate and I kind of acted really calm. It was dark at night, I was a lot younger, and then they left and I just literally crumbled in my car and I was terrified. I remember ringing my mum afterwards.”
Her comments came as a police boss who said women “need to be streetwise” following Sarah’s death, was met with fury.
North Yorkshire commissioner Philip Allott said: “So women, first of all, need to be streetwise about when they can be arrested and when they can’t be arrested. She should never have been arrested and submitted to that,” he said.
“Perhaps women need to consider in terms of the legal process, to just learn a bit about that legal process”.
He has been slammed by campaigners – including group Reclaim the Streets.
Lucy Arnold said: “I think frankly that was a horrifically offensive thing to say,” she said.
“Does anyone really feel like they can stand up to a police officer?
“I am very confident I know my rights, I know the law, but no I wouldn’t feel confident at all.”
