MY STORY
My name is Mary. I am 28 years old and I am a healthcare worker in a hospital in the South of England. In 2018, I was raped by a man I knew.
The next day, I reported this attack to the police and did absolutely everything I could to assist them in investigating my case. This involved being interviewed and telling them everything that had happened, handing in my phone (which they said needed to be digitally downloaded) and giving them the details of the man who attacked me. I was also forensically examined.
After two years of waiting for news that my case was being progressed, the police informed me that they were going to close the case. I was devastated by this news and felt so disappointed that two years had passed and the police had not even interviewed the suspect. The hurt I felt had a huge impact on my daily life and mental health. I was let down by the police and felt they had not taken my case seriously, despite my cooperation and honesty throughout the process.
I decided at this point that I needed the help of a lawyer. I contacted Centre for Women’s Justice, who put me in touch with a lawyer from Bindmans LLP. Through my lawyer, I challenged the police’s decision to close my case. The police quickly agreed that my case should not have been closed. They reopened it and referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) who would consider whether to charge the man who attacked me.
I finally felt like progress was being made and felt positive about the outcome. However, after a number of months, the CPS informed me that they were not going to charge him. Very little information was given to me about why they had taken this decision. I again challenged this through the Victim’s Right to Review Scheme.
The CPS have recently informed my lawyer that they are looking again at important evidence which they have not yet considered, despite my legal team having raised attention to this a number of times. It has now been almost three years since I reported the attack and yet, it feels like we are still at the beginning.
HOW THE POLICE AND CPS ARE FAILING WOMEN LIKE ME
Whilst there has been a huge increase in the number of rapes being reported to the police (an increase of 173% since 2014), there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of rape and sexual assault prosecutions. Only around 1% of rape allegations result in a person being charged. Victims of sexual violence, like me, should be able to feel confident that when they report a crime, they are listened to and a full investigation is carried out. Women should not have to go through the pain of feeling let down and ignored as I have done.
Had I not been supported by Centre for Women’s Justice, a rape crisis centre and had the help of a lawyer, my case would have been another failed statistic.
I wish the police and CPS appreciated the pain caused by long delays in gathering evidence and making decisions. Maybe if they did, they would stop letting victims of sexual abuse down, as I have been. The process of waiting and challenging wrong decisions has been exhausting. I shouldn’t have had to experience this. No one should.
WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP?
I am not giving up. With the help of my lawyer, we are chasing the CPS for updates on my case and for a decision to be made on whether they are going to charge the suspect. The criminal justice system can feel complicated and intimidating. Therefore, the support of a lawyer is crucial for me to be able to achieve justice.
As a recent graduate, I don’t have the necessary funds to cover my legal fees. I have started a crowd-funding page to cover the fees for some of the work my lawyer is doing. A link to my page is here https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/cps-failures/
Any contribution however big or small would be hugely appreciated.