A young woman has described a terrifying ordeal in which a man repeatedly attempted to enter her home while she was naked and alone, only to claim that responding police officers laughed at her concerns and dismissed the severity of the situation. The incident, which occurred in April in Smithfield, Australia, has led to her frustration over the perceived lack of adequate police response.
Ella Kearns, 20, was asleep in her unit around 4 a.m. when she was awakened by a man outside calling for someone named 'Bridget.' The intruder peered through her bedroom window and attempted to force his way inside through the window and then the front door. Kearns immediately called emergency services.
Upon the arrival of the first officers, Kearns alleges that the female police constables spoke with the man, and she could hear them chuckling. "They didn’t do anything but have a yarn and a laugh with him," she told the Daily Mail. "I was bawling my eyes out."
According to Kearns, approximately five minutes after the police departed, the man returned and continued to try and gain entry to her unit. She contacted emergency services again and followed the dispatcher's advice to lock herself in the bathroom. During this time, the man moved between the front and back entrances of her home, attempting to open the locked door and tamper with window screens.
Kearns reported that her cat, Cannoli, reacted with growling, indicating the intruder's movements. She felt vulnerable and alone, noting she had only recently moved into the government-housing unit for low-income young people and did not know her neighbors well.
Police returned to the scene for a second time, again instructing the man to move along without taking a statement from Kearns. Around 5 a.m., the man reappeared for a third attempt to enter her home. This time, Kearns recorded their interaction on her phone.
In the recording, the man identified himself as a former professional football player who offered massages and stated he was looking for a woman named Bridget he had met on a hook-up app. Kearns calmly informed him that no one by that name lived in her unit or the one above. The man persisted, asking if she had called the police and mentioning that one of the female officers had taken his number. He also stated he was waiting for his mother to pick him up from the train station.
Kearns reiterated that she was not interested in his offers for massages or hook-ups, emphasizing her youth and the presence of families with children in the unit complex. She expressed that his behavior was frightening and urged him to leave. The man then indicated he would go upstairs before asking Kearns for her name.
When police responded to her third call, Kearns informed them about the recording but claimed they were dismissive. "I emphasised I’d like to make a report for harassment or whatever I could," she said. "I was not given the time of day and honestly they seemed annoyed that I had called." She felt the officers made her feel "crazy" and belittled her for seeking assistance.
Days after the incident, Kearns visited her local police station to discuss her treatment. She was reportedly told that she should not have called emergency services and that her situation was more appropriate for a non-emergency line, given "more dire situations that need addressing."
Kearns expressed her disbelief, questioning what it would take for authorities to protect women and children, referencing the number of women killed in Australia that year. She shared her story with the Daily Mail after months of feeling unheard, hoping it might contribute to a step towards change.