I was on my first solo travelling trip aged 21 and I’d gone to Canada (from the UK) thinking it was the safest place. I decided to go to the cinema in the city to fill my evening so I didn’t feel lonely. About ten minutes into the film, a man sat down in my row after seeing I was the only person sitting alone, without a male companion. He was behaving
strangely throughout. I was so scared of what he might do that I stayed glued to my seat, eyes firmly on the screen but not watching at all. After about an hour of seeing him fidget and swear under his breath and make strange sounds with his mouth, I finally turned to look at him. His penis was out and he was masturbating violently. I lunged over the seats in front of me – he was blocking my exit out of the row and he knew it – and ran out to tell staff. By the time they got into the screen, he had run out the back exit. They were very supportive and kind but they didn’t call the police. It put me off travelling solo ever again. It put me off going to the cinema alone.
