The mum of Hull student Libby Squire, who was tragically murdered in 2019, is backing a campaign to encourage people to report all non-contact sexual offences.
Lisa Squire says Libby's rape and murder was "totally preventable" as it later emerged her killer Pawel Relowicz had a history of sex crimes against women. Mrs Squire, from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, is now working with Thames Valley Police on a campaign called It Does Matter.
It aims to encourage people to report incidents such as someone exposing themselves or being watched while getting changed and to not dismiss them as "harmless". The force says non-contact sexual offences, such as exposure and voyeurism, have been "historically overlooked" as a form of violence against women and girls as they are often not considered serious enough to report by victims.
However, these incidents can lead to an escalation in offending, including rape and sexual assault.
University Of Hull student Libby, who was 21 at the time of her death in February 2019, was picked up in a car by Relowicz in the Beverley Road area after she got out of a taxi near her home. She was later raped and murdered. Her body was found in the Humber around seven weeks later near Grimsby docks.
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It later emerged Relowicz had been committing a series of sexual offences in the Hull area for around 18 months prior to Libby's murder, including exposing himself and acts of voyeurism. However, he was not convicted of these offences until August 2019 when he was given a sentence of five years and eight months. He was convicted of Libby's rape and murder in February 2021 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 27 years.
Backing the new campaign, Libby's mum said: "Libby was enjoying her life at university. She had made new friends and was studying and partying hard.
"On 1 February 2019, Libby was refused entry to a club because she was too drunk. Her friends sent her home alone in a taxi. Libby never got home. She was raped and murdered by a stranger who had an extensive history of non-contact sexual offences. Libby's death was totally preventable.
"I knew I had to do something to raise awareness around safety at university and in the night-time economy and the importance reporting of non-contact sexual offences. After many meetings and lots of discussions with Thames Valley Police, 'It Does Matter' was created.
"I know Libby would be incredibly proud of what we have created in It Does Matter. My hope is that you take the messages in It Does Matter and make them part of your everyday life.
"Had someone done this for Libby that night she would be alive today."
Data from the Office for National Statistics in 2023 revealed that more than 12,000 exposure and voyeurism offences have been recorded annually by police in England and Wales since April 2021. However, this represents fewer than 6 per cent of the estimated total incidents, highlighting the significant under-reporting of non-contact sexual offences.
A recent report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for UN Women found that 71 per cent of women in the UK have experienced sexual harassment in a public space, including though not limited to, sexual exposure. Around 95 per cent of these incidents were not reported to the police, with more than half of women saying they did not report as they didn’t believe the incident was serious enough.
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Thames Valley Police's campaign will target 18-to-24 year olds in particular, using real-life stories with the tag line "speak up, stand together, stay safe".
Assistant Chief Constable Katy Barrow-Grint, Force Strategic Lead for Violence Against Women and Girls, said: "Many women and girls will have been subjected to non-contact sexual offences during their lives. This is likely to include your family and friends.
"Many will have brushed it off as something that happens to all women, or found that others have laughed at their stories, making them question how serious is it. We have created the ‘It Does Matter’ campaign to encourage those who have been subjected to offences such as indecent exposure and voyeurism to absolutely report to the police."
