'I felt victim-blamed': Bin man walks in on topless woman in her own home for second time

Why it matters: Jasmine, who lives with a mental health disorder, said the incident has left her traumatised. She said she has experienced anxiety attacks following the incident, and has not felt safe in her own home since.

The details: On Thursday, 9 July, a council employee entered her home without permission, saw her undressed, and left without a word – and that this is the second time it has happened at the same property.

The incident happened at around 07:30. Jasmine says a waste collection officer walked into her flat, took two or three steps inside, and looked straight at her before she screamed. He then left immediately, with no words exchanged and no apology given.

At the time, Jasmine did not realise the man was a council employee – she says all she saw was a man in orange hi-vis, and it wasn't until the incident had settled that she remembered it was bin day. She only had it confirmed that he was a council employee when the council visited her afterwards.

According to Jasmine, the officer told the council he could not get through the gates to the property and walked in because he thought it was an office. He reported the incident to the council immediately on his return to the depot.

The council then sent two staff members to see Jasmine, who she says "spent the whole time saying how mortified the bin man was", but stopped short of what she felt was a sincere apology. She says she was told the property wasn't clearly marked as residential and that she should get a bigger door number – something she felt amounted to victim-blaming.

What they're saying: "Since this incident, I've been left feeling dismissed by the council and their approach to what has happened twice now, at my home, by their employees," Jasmine said.

She says she accepts the incident was a mistake with no malicious intent, but feels the council has not taken it seriously, characterising its attitude as "he's apologised so that's that".

The other side: We contacted Ipswich Borough Council for comment on Thursday, 16 July, whose press office urged us not to publish the story.

We explained Jasmine's position and suggested that the council use the next few days to issue an apology that reflected the seriousness of the incident and reassured her that it would not happen again, but the council did not take that opportunity.

For context: Jasmine says this is the second time a council employee has walked into the property without permission. The first incident happened on 5 October 2023, when she says the same explanation was given.

The bottom line: Jasmine says she accepts the incident was an honest mistake, but feels dismissed by a council that had the chance to reassure her with a genuine apology before this story ran – but chose not to.

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