Female guest finds 'I'm going to rape you' written across hotel room's TV
Woman, who wishes to remain nameless, found the message on her television in a Travelodge in Gateshead
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Your support makes all the difference.A female Travelodge guest was left terrified after the words: “I'm going to rape you” flashed up on her television screen.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, was staying at the Whitemare Pool Travelodge, in Gateshead on Wednesday, when she discovered the electronic message on the room’s TV, in front of the usual background image.
Staff immediately removed the words and refunded the woman’s payment for the room.
Speaking to the BBC, she said the budget hotelier had “been great about it”.
A spokesperson for the chain, which operates 5000 hotels and over 37,000 rooms across the UK, apologised for the incident and explained that someone may have used the manufacturer's code to alter the message on the screen.
Chief executive officer of Object, an organisation that campaigns for greater awareness against the sexualisation of women and girls, Roz Hardie told The Independent that it was important not to trivialise an event such as this.
“The reality is that approximately 85,000 women and girls in England and Wales are sexually attacked every year. That is a significant proportion and the particular nature of this threat means the effect on the person could be phenomenal.”
In a statement a spokesperson for Travelodge said: "We take the security of our guests and our systems very seriously and while this is an isolated incident, applicable to only one room, we have consequently launched a full investigation with our television supplier.
"We will take the appropriate action to address any issues that are identified by our investigation and in the interim, we have reaffirmed our guidance to team-members regarding checks on the status of televisions in our guest-rooms."
The police have not been involved in the incident.
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