University of Leicester student, Maya Sterling*, says she wasn’t surprised when her flatmate told her men were being arrested in the elevator outside her flat, stating, “it’s really normal for this accommodation.”
She added: “I had to call the police myself once, after being woken up at 5 am by a guy who was hitting a car with a crutch.”
The Tannery, a student accommodation on Bath Lane, is where the viral “belt whipping” incident took place on November 22nd 2025. Eyewitnesses posted on social media that people were robbed and assaulted at a party.
“The week after it happened, I didn’t really eat because I was too anxious to enter my kitchen,” Maya says.
Maya, who is a 20-year-old English student, said that in the weeks leading up to the incident, the accommodation had banned visitors after “someone set the stairwell on fire with fireworks.”
The ban was lifted three days before the alleged assault and robbery.
“I remember one time someone was waving a machete outside the accommodation. We were told to stay inside our flat by the armed forces,” Maya says.
According to the Leicestershire Police crime map, 68 crimes were reported on the same road as the Tannery in semester one of this year (September-December 2025). Of these 68, 14 were violent and sexual.
Maya says she “just wants to leave” but can’t because her contract requires her to pay rent for the full year.
“This place is probably the worst place if you actually want to get sleep,” she claims.
Following the belt whipping incident, the accommodation team reintroduced the visitors ban. In a statement, the Tannery said, “we still have a guest ban in place”, but Maya says this ban is rarely enforced.
She says that while there are supposed to be security officers checking ID at all times, “they don’t actually check,” adding, “during the day, there is no security on door.”
Living in the Tannery has significantly impacted her experience in Leicester.
Maya said: “I went to another person’s flat, and they were saying, ‘oh my god, Leicester’s so nice, Leicester’s so safe’, and I’m like, I don’t think we’re living in the same Leicester.”
In a statement, Sergeant Steph Burnham of Leicestershire Police said his team are “working with housing and accommodation providers to ensure appropriate security measures are in place.”
“Officers have also been supporting colleagues working within CID with ongoing investigations, and several people have been charged in connection with one incident, which we acknowledge caused some concern to those living in the area.
“We would always encourage anyone who has been a victim of crime to make a report to the police.”
The Tannery were approached for comment, but other than stating their visitor ban was still in place, they chose not to reply.
*Name has been changed