Glasgow bar praised over response after older man slipped his hands under woman’s blazer

Lauren Kerr described the Old Toll Bar on Paisley Road West as a ‘safe space for women’ after the incident there, where staff were quick with their response.

Ms Kerr described an situation with a man - ‘probably in his sixties’ - on the bar’s Facebook page.

She said the man tried to sit on the bar stool next to her and later to ‘slip his hand under my blazer and wrap his arms around my waist and started moving his hands upwards’.

“Like any bar, there can be the odd pain in the arse customer,” she wrote. “An older man probably in his sixties, decided it was appropriate to sit on a bar stool next to be and nearly sit on my lap. Straight away the bar staff told him to move his stool to provide space or to sit on any of the other free seats.

“They even offered to find my friend and I table. We declined as we didn’t want to make a big deal, and just decided that I would turn my stool to face my back to him to discourage any conversation from this man.

“However, after about 10mins the man in question decided it would be appropriate to slip his hand under my blazer and wrap his arms around my waist and started moving his hands upwards. I straight away turned round and just said “No, you do not touch me”.

“This was witnessed by the staff and straight away the man was removed from the premises. There was no further discussion, there was no excuses made, there was no attempt justify his behaviour. They advised that their bar is a place where everyone should feel safe at all times.”

Bar staff were quick to act by removing the man from the premises, earning praise from Ms Kerr.

She wrote: “This proactive approach and dedication to the safety and comfort of its patrons is outstanding. This bar will now be a favourite of mine and I will be visiting it frequently. Thank you to the amazing bar staff, not only for your actions, but for being kind caring individuals.”