Maria Belen Susana Montero-Cowell

In the early 2000’s I was working nights, West End Central. Got a 3AM call of a man harassing women drunk on Regent St, outside Hamleys. I walked down, full uniform. This guy was wasted. Swaying too and fro. I stood in the doorway of Hamleys and watched him. He had no idea I was there. His drunken ass would try and accost women walking past, most also the worse for wear from drink, but none as bad as him. I can only describe what I witnessed as predatory. Entitled, if that makes sense. Expecting someone to recognise him, and go home with him. I waited for him to go hands on which looked more and more likely, as he became slightly more aggressive with each refusal. Then I too would go hands on. Then as one woman passed, he slurred “hello” and reached out to her, but he saw me. He knew. As drunk as he was he still corrected his behaviour immediately. He smiled weakly and stumbled to the edge of the kerb, holding out his arm. A black cab stopped. He fell as he tried to get in the back. The cabbie saw me watching him, and the window came down. “Are you taking him or me?” he asked. “He’s your problem now.” That was best, as he was certainly not a problem I wanted to leave the custody Sergeant with. That man was David Walliams. I dealt with lots of famous people in the three years I was at West End Central and many of them presented a level of egotism bordering on the narcissistic. I’m not saying that fame create entitlement. But it will amplify traits and behaviours that were already present. What I’m trying to say is when people only hear the word “yes” all the time, they stop recognising “no” as a legitimate answer. #RussellBrand #london #england