Woman relives terrifying moment she fought off kidnap gang who tried to drag her into car after night out – and has created an app to save others
Sarah Murphy, 28, was walking home from a nightclub when she was attacked in Clapham, South West London
A WOMAN has relived the horrific moment she fought off a gang of four men who tried to force her into a car after a night out.
Sarah Murphy, then 25, was walking home from a club in Clapham, southwest London, when the car pulled up beside her.
Sarah left Infernos nightclub at 3.30am and decided to walk home as there were no taxis and a long wait for the bus.
As she turned onto Abbeville Road, less than five minutes from her home, a man jumped out of the car and "tried to army-tackle" Sarah into the back of the car.
Seeing three other men inside the car, and the driver who looked "dead behind the eyes", she panicked did everything she could to escape being kidnapped in August 2015.
After a fierce struggle, Sarah kicked and screamed until the men gave up and dumped her on the street before driving off.
The now 28-year-old told : "I don’t know what kicked in but I thought, fight fire with fire.
"I started screaming and kicking with these tie-on wedge heels that do not come off your feet.
"The man on the street had half got me into the car, and I was kicking the window and kicking him in the shins."
I was so weakened I was just about to give up
Sarah Murphy
Sarah,who has now created an app to save others, said the ordeal lasted five to seven minutes before the would-be kidnappers gave up.
She added: ";I was so weakened I was just about to give up.
"I think they got scared because I saw the man in the driver’s seat, who I think was the ringleader, give the others a look and they let me fall on to the pavement and drove off."
After the terrifying attack Sarah ran home and told her housemate what had happened.
She went to the hospital the following day, where doctors said her injuries were consistent with a car accident.
Sarah was on crutches for the next two weeks and says she still experiences pain and headaches on her right-hand side today.
The incident was reported to the police, but as the car pulled up in a blind spot, the attackers have never been found.
PREMEDITATED ATTACK
She said: “I can’t get over how premeditated it was — that four men would go out at that time of night in a car looking for young girls.
“And they’re still out there.”
Speaking to The Sun Online, Sarah added: “It’s hard that they’re still out there. I don’t feel that they’re still a threat to me, but they could be married or have a family.
"It’s horrible to think that someone might have to live like that.”
Sarah has spoken out about how the attack affected her life: “I don’t want them to have won, but before it happened I was a completely different person. I was quite free-spirited.
"Afterwards I stopped drinking. You experience a lot of self-blame. I rarely go out now, and if I do I always leave by 11pm. If I want to let go, I have people over to my house instead.”
Although recalling the event is traumatising for Sarah, she is using the experience to help others.
Alongside her boyfriend Richard Kay, 30, whom she lives with in Berkshire, Sarah has created an app called Chaperhome.
It helps users choose safer, better-lit routes home and sends the start and finish points of the journey to a chosen contact, who is alerted if the destination isn't reached on time.
Users can also log danger points on the map to stop others walking into crime scenes or areas where there has been criminal activity.
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Sarah said: “We sat down and worked out all of the things that made us feel unsafe when we were out and then designed different features to help you protect yourself.”
When asked what advice she would give to anyone walking home by themselves, Sarah said: “I never ever plan to fear monger, but to keep safe it’s best to use an app or have a rape alarm or something. Always have loved ones know where you are and talk to people.
“I grew up in a world where people didn’t talk about safety. We used to stick together as teenagers then as soon as we became adults we were out on our own.”
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