A queer student said she was assaulted by a man in Primark who also called she and her friend “derogatory” terms.
Content warning: This story may include topics that could make some readers feel uncomfortable.
Dehayna Thomas claimed the incident happened on 10 February at the store in Westfield White City, London.
It began when the culprit “berated” Primark’s staff in the line to pay which led to the Goldsmiths University student telling him he had to wait like “everyone” else.
She told MyLondon she was “choked” and “hit” in an attack that left her bleeding with a cut lip and inner cheek.
“He was waiting for us at the bottom of the escalator,” she told the outlet. “I was very shocked. After we had that encounter at the till that and he paid, I assumed it was done. I didn’t expect to see him there waiting by the escalator.”
A confrontation quickly ensued between the two, taking place at the bottom of the aforementioned escalator.
She explained: “He continued having a go at us saying we were being disrespectful and we should respect him.
“And we were saying, ‘You’re a big man, you should leave us alone.’ As we were leaving it just escalated and at one point he called us lesbians.”
Thomas “froze up” as the situation grew more violent and her friend tried to save her.
“He kind of switched when there was a lot of back and forth and swearing and then he charged at us and choked me and tried to punch me,” the history student continued. “I remember his hand around my neck. The way he hit me it caused my teeth to cut my inner lip and my inner cheek so I was bleeding. It was very frightening to say the least.”
The two women then informed Primark’s security of what happened and they learned the man had been looking for them.
Police were then called and informed of the incident which left Thomas “anxious” and “shaken up”.
“I think he felt it wouldn’t be that hard and we wouldn’t put up a fight, and he could easily overpower us,” she added.
“And in some ways he was able to do it because I was hurt and he wasn’t. And it doesn’t make it OK because of our stature and our gender.
“And also to be calling us lesbians, in a derogatory way in an LGBTQ+ History Month, it’s very indicative of how much further we have to go.”
A statement from Primark said: “The safety of our colleagues and customers in our stores is our number one priority. We are aware of an incident that took place in our Westfield store last Thursday evening; Primark’s security team were alerted and arrived straight away to deal with the incident and were joined minutes later by Westfield’s security team to assist the customer who had suffered an alleged assault. As this is now an ongoing police investigation, we can’t comment further at this time.”
Galop is an LGBTQ+ charity there for those who have experienced abuse or have been the victim of a hate crime. They can be contacted Monday to Friday from 10am-4pm on 0207 7042040 or at HateCrime@galop.org.uk. You can find out more about it here.
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