Man, 73, arrested on suspicion of new sexual harassment offence in Basingstoke

A 73-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of a new sexual harassment offence following a report of inappropriate behaviour in Basingstoke town centre. 

It comes after officers received a report that a man had made sexualised comments to a woman who was working at a store in The Malls on Wednesday 13 May.

The man’s behaviour made the woman feel distressed and nervous. Our officers want to be clear; this will not be tolerated and will do everything we can to arrest those responsible for this kind of behaviour.

After receiving this report, we launched an investigation and made an arrest yesterday (16 June).

A 73-year-old man from Basingstoke was arrested on suspicion of a sexual harassment offence under section 4B of the Public Order Act 1986. This new legislation was introduced on 1 April 2026 to create a new criminal offence targeting sex-based harassment. 

The man has since been bailed with strict conditions, to allow for further enquiries to be carried out. 

If you have any concerns or would like to report similar inappropriate behaviour in shops within the town centre and district, please report it via 101, quoting 44260225041.

You can also report information online: How to tell us about an existing case or report | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary