'Enough is enough' as women march to reclaim the streets of Exeter

Those closest to murdered Exeter woman Lorraine Cox tonight praised the more than 1,000 women who marched through the city to 'reclaim the night'.

The march was intended to 'demand change and an end to violence against women and girls' and comes in the week police in Plymouth found a female body in the South Hams.

In April Azam Mangori was convicted of the murder of 32-year-old Lorraine Cox - who he approached while she was walking home alone in the city.

On December 2 there will be another Devon reclaim the streets event, this time in Torbay.

Research carried out by The Crime Survey for England and Wales in 2019 estimates that, of the 773,000 adults aged 16 to 74 who were victims of sexual assault, 80% were female.

There has been an eight percent increase in recorded sexual offences over the last year with the highest number of recorded rapes ever, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

It comes with today also the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Claire Bloor, chief executive of Somerset and Avon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support, told us that after the events of this year including the murder's of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa in the capital, the days of action will be more poignant than ever.

She said: "One of the things we're calling for this year is for people to support their local sexual violence services wherever they live in the country, either by volunteering, by donating or by calling on the government to ensure that there's sustainable funding for these services so we can deliver the support to this increase in people that are coming forward asking for help."

Another Reclaim the Night march has tonight been taking place through the centre of Bristol.

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