by Anna Carter
So, so, so last night I went out in the first time in forever, to a bar called The Ladybird in Islington. We did some good dancing and had some good drankz but then whilst waiting for 2 friends to get a round, I felt two hands violently grad my ass about 4/5 times. Now, normally in this kind of place, you have to shrug off some inappropriate brushes or nudges and give the offender the benefit of the doubt , which is incredibly sad and disturbing in itself, but this was a blatant and horrid act. So I turn around and his friend tells me to 'ignore him, he's drunk' as if that makes what he did okay. I ask the guy whether he did it- tail between his legs, he avoids the question. I go and tell a bouncer who, reluctantly, asks me to point him out and him and his friend are escorted out. 10 minutes later a bouncer pulls me outside and I'm faced with the man who assaulted me, his friend and 3 huge bouncers and told that he didn't do it because he said he didn't do it. I'm then expected to prove myself in front of the very person who thought it acceptable to walk up behind a stranger and grope them. My friends saw him do it, his friend told me he did it, a stranger told me he did it. But I'm the one who has to defend myself. The manager then speaks to me, without an apology, without anything like an apology but with a 'you have to understand where I'm coming from', 'there's two sides to the story' etc. etc. with no sympathy whatsoever. People should never be made to feel like an inconvenience for reporting a sexual assault and they should definitely not be made to convince 3 bouncers, a manager, the guy's friend and the offender that it really did happen. I never thought that a club like that could deal with a situation like that in such a ridiculous way but alas. Please never go to The Ladybird and, if you really have to, expect to be completely on your own if anything bad is to happen to you. The cocktails aren't worth it...

The Ladybird Bar

70 Upper Street
Angel, Greater London
N1 0NY
Phone: 020 7359 1710