Have you ever been mugged or the victim of a physical assault

I've never been mugged (touch wood..!!) and I'm not sure what I would do if I ever was...   would I fight or run...?   Not sure...  I suppose instinct for the danger would decide that one...   the Police always say that you should just give in and do whatever the mugger wants to avoid physical harm...    if it was a one on one, then that's a very different situation to one person against a gang....

But...  doesn't that just perpetuate the problem...?  If we just give in, how will these thugs ever learn to change...?

And...   if you saw someone being mugged/assaulted would you step in a help..?   Its not an easy one to answer I suppose...  many years ago I helped a woman who was being assaulted by her boyfriend... I was driving and saw the assault just ahead of me...  I pulled over and the woman ran screaming at me for help...   I shouted to her to jump into the back of my car and once she was in I sped off up the road...  she was sobbing and hysterical...  it was very distressing....

I read an interesting story this evening by a journalist who was mugged at knife point... and at the end of the article it said that the mugger had only been released from prison two weeks earlier for a previous mugging crime...   he is clearly going to be a problem for society for a while then...

The mugger was caught because the journalist had the 'Find My Phone' app on his iPhone..   so.. the Police knew precisely where the mugger was..!

Never been mugged. I'd probably cry and hand over what ever they wanted. I like to think I'd stand up for myself, but I doubt I would really. 

When I was 19 a friend and I left a club early and walked through Croydon to get a cab. Half way along the shopping street we met a group of teenagers coming the other way, three girls and two boys aged about 14/15. One of the girls blocked my friend path shouting "are you starting?" in her face. She knocked her to the floor and began kicking her in the chest, whilst holding her up by her hair. For a moment I stood there, and maybe if I'd done nothing they'd have left me alone. But I stepped forwards and said something like "what are you doing?", for my troubles I got knocked to the floor by one of the other girls, who despite being 4 years younger was bigger than me. She held me by my hair and kicked me in the chest. I didn't fight back, instead all I could think was that I didn't want to show my knickers to the boys! so while she kicked me in the chest I just held my skirt down! After (a minute? 30 seconds? not really sure) a while one of the boys said "OK that's enough" and they all went off in the other direction and we went the other way.

In the morning I thought I'd be bruised but was suprise to find there wasn't a mark on me! She was wearing trainers, but she also can't have been kicking very hard! I sometimes think about whether I should have fought back, but then it could have escalated if we had.

The honest answer to the question is no, never be mugged (or worse). But I'm 310% sure that's down to luck, and someone interveening. 

I like to think I would interveen, but i do wonder. 

I have been mugged, but it happened so fast and unexpectedly, I didn't really have time to think what to do.  In a flash I had been robbed and hit in the face.  I just remember seeing stars and being confused as to what had happened.  I think the only advice I can give is to be as totally aware of your surroundings and people around you as you can, to pre-empt anything & take evasive action, don't have your ipod on too loud!

I was assaulted by a drunk woman whilst walking my dog. She had her kids with her and was rolling. Her dog was out of control and after remonstrating with her, she punched me. Too drunk to aim, it didn't hurt me...it did horrify me that she had children watching all this.

I was also assaulted badly by an ex partner. Out of the blue and no precipitating factors. I regret not calling the police. My shock and disbelief was such, that I just carried on with life taking a few days off work to allow brusing on face and neck to fade. He got away scot free. I'm really cross with myself for that. I didn't think anyone would believe me and worried they might blame me in some way (because it was so out of character)

If I saw someone assaulting a woman or child I would intervene. Personal risk would mean I'd reach for my phone and call the police if it was a bloke

I've been assaulted a few times, and everytime I've stood my ground. The worry is now youths don't just hit people, they carry knives and worse. Everytime I walk through my old estate I worry I won't leave it.

I've never been mugged or assaulted (touch wood) but I have stepped in when a friend was been attacked. I didnt even touch them- i just shouted "WHAT THE F**K DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"... followed by a few other sentences and then ran towards them and they ran off.

I was sexually assaulted on the tube when I was 15 - couldn't scream, couldn't struggle and couldn't fight back. All I could do when the tube stopped was say "get off me" and he ran. I didn't tell anyone until I was 19 one Christmas break from uni and it was met with total nonchalance "it happens...get over it". This was from my otherwise very supportive parents.

I was assaulted again by a colleague last summer - I'll not bore you all with the story...it's already been said. But I think it is why now I'm quite prickly in crowded situations. I don't trust anyone that I don't know well in a large group.

I've intervened a physical assault on a teenage boy at T wells station at rush hour. People were just walking past and I couldn't do the same. I ended up pinned to a wall by my throat by the attacker after I yelled at them to stop. The boy ran off...I'm glad he was ok. My parents didn't believe me though...

I've been mugged - many years ago. I was in a wheelchair at the time and really didn't feel that there was anything I could do. 

I was also assaulted whilst at school - again in my wheelchair. The class bully thought it would be funny to tip my chair over and leave me sprawled on the floor. I couldn't walk at the time and struggled to get back up. No one intervened. 

Re. intervening - I have, and I would again. I was working at a library and we had a book sale out the front of the building. A man (big guy - 6ft plus easily) and a woman were screaming at each other, and he grabbed her and slammed her into the wall. I was with three colleagues, and 10-15 people looking through the books. No one did anything, so I ran towards them shouting at him to let her go, and then back at my colleagues to call the police. He ran off, and the woman gave me a mouthful of abuse  

If I were to witness something again, I would try and assess the situation before I intervened. That's easier said than done in the heat of the moment though... 

I got mugged about 12 years ago.. Broad day light having used a cash point on Tottenham Court Rd on a Saturday lunch time.. Didn;t like the look of the carving knife the guy had !!!

geezz..   some awful stories....

A few years ago I was trekking in Nepal.  I was with a group of other trekkers, our guide, and some sherpas when we were approached by a handful (three or four) of Maoist rebels and asked to pay our "tax".

These guys were mild-mannered, neatly dressed, quietly spoken, and I couldn't for the life of me understand why we didn't just decline and keep walking.

The Maoists were polite, but insistent.  They even gave receipts.

I was really quite cross that the others were all just handing over money - even though it wasn't a lot, about five quid a person.  I was more angry at the others in the group for being so bloody spineless!

Once they had gone, the guide told me that the leader had opened his bag and shown him that he had a gun.

The joys of living in Northern Ireland during the Troubles: MrGFB and my dad were in our van and running a bunch of stuff to the dump - only to be hijacked at gun point.  These guys got into the back of the van and held a gun to MrGFB's head and told him to drive to a certain location.  They were then turned out of the van and told to go to a certain pub and wait until a certain time before calling the police.  All of which they did.

The van was used as the vehicle for a mortar attack - it was on a police station next to an old people's home.  The old people were evacuated and I heard that one of them had died afterwards.

The hijackers were all caught and went on trial and did time...it was a very scary time.

only ever physically assulted by one person.............unfortunately not much i can do about it and just hope it won't continue for too much longer.............sometimes there is no choice in these matters as to whether you fight back or not........

Not me directly but out with my uncle and his friend, a lad jumped in front of them and asked to handover money, phones etc. Uncle's friend saw an opportunity and hit this lad once and he went straight to the floor. They restrained him and called the police - it was only after the adrenaline had worn off that my uncle said "I'm not sure I could've done that given that he had the knife, you've got some balls!". "WHAT KNIFE?!" came the response... He hadn't seen the lad carrying the knife by his side. He had to sit down after that!

seren nos wrote (see)

only ever physically assulted by one person.............unfortunately not much i can do about it and just hope it won't continue for too much longer.............sometimes there is no choice in these matters as to whether you fight back or not........

Seren, there must be something you can do?  Doesn't matter who it is.  People can help.

A strange event as I was walking through London and a man started to approach me from the side. As I turned someone shouted "POLICE" and the man was floored right at my feet. I just stepped over the lot of them and carried on my way.

Yes, where do you want me to begin?