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Feminism: Sex & gender discussions

Jailed after reporting a sexual assault - can hardly believe this.

77 replies

KRIKRI · 13/08/2011 22:19

Just saw this story about the Layla Ibrahim case.

www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/aug/12/layla-jailed-after-reporting-sexual-assault

She served 13 months for "falsely reporting a sexual assault," despite the police doctor who examined her after her assault testifying in Layla's defence, stating her injuries were consistent with a sexual assault.

AIBU to be absolutely shocked by this?

OP posts:

Report

LynetteScavo · 13/08/2011 22:35

When I read the OP I presumed it would be in another country.

NonnoMum · 13/08/2011 22:37

This has made my blood boil. How can we show support? Read about it today and thought MN has to get involved.

franke · 13/08/2011 22:38

Dreadful and shocking.

KRIKRI · 13/08/2011 23:01

I can't believe I haven't heard about it before. Well, frankly, I just can't believe it full stop. Hopefully someone else will come along who might know about a campaign or support fund or something. Nothing can change the fact she's spent more than a year behind bars (and her child's first year was in prison,) but she can still clear her name.

OP posts:

DontCallMePeanut · 14/08/2011 09:57

I thought this was in another country as well. Not something you'd think would happen in this country, either.

KriKri, yanbu to be shocked by this. I read that article on the brink of tears. Way to put people off reporting sexual assaults and rape, eh? I'm so angry I'm lost for words.

Am off to blog about this and make a facebook page in support. Have alread tweeted with the hashtag #JusticeForLayla. We need to get this in the spotlight as much as possible, and let Layla know the rest of the UK is behind her.

KRIKRI · 14/08/2011 11:10

Thanks SO much for your response Peanut. I'm not very twitter or facebook savvy and wasn't sure whether there was anything already happening in support of Layla's cause (but when I googled her name, I only got the Guardian article.)

I also sent a link to the article to Shakesville. The more the word gets round, the more chance there is of making a difference.

still seething

OP posts:

DontCallMePeanut · 14/08/2011 11:23

I'm the only one who's tweeted with the Justice For Layla hashtag so far. Still working on the blog. Seems to be nothing in her support so far. If anyone has anything they want to add to the blog, please feel free to message me.

DontCallMePeanut · 14/08/2011 11:29

I tweeted the PixelProject. The tweet has been retweeted by @theFword, @pixelproject, @incurablehippie, @cctheatreco, @nimkoali and @qwnofeverything.

If anyone is following me or any of those accounts on twitter, please please PLEASE retweet. You never know when you're going to get to the right person

HedleyLamarr · 14/08/2011 12:37

I'm not on Twitter but will gladly post it on my Facebook wall and on various popular groups to get the word out there. I am absolutely fucking appalled that anyone could be treated in such a disgusting manner in what is supposedly a civilised country.

Anniegetyourgun · 14/08/2011 13:03

just

StealthPolarBear · 14/08/2011 13:10

awful, glad she and her baby are out now.
But hey, the police have to clamp down on all those "false allegations" don't they, now 100% of rapes end in convictions
So she was attacked by those men, then attacked by the justice system

DontCallMePeanut · 14/08/2011 13:23

She's still being punished, IMO. She's under a home detention curfew.

This woman deserves a full fucking apology, and full fucking freedom. I mean, the police lost evidence. To me, that's the most damning thing. They charged her based on their fucking incompetence.

I'm trying to stay calm and rational about this on the blog, but want so badly to swear all the way through it.

SardineQueen · 14/08/2011 13:44

I don;t understand why they pursue these cases so vigorously TBH. They seem to pursue them much more avidly than other sorts of cases, the public interest part is hard to see (even if she did make it up she's not a risk to anyone but herself), and they prosecute even when there is strong defence evidence when in other cases they don't prosecute unless they think there is a very good chance of winning.

It's extremely concerning to put it mildly.

I can't see any point in pursuing these cases expect to put women off reporting attacks TBH.

StealthPolarBear · 14/08/2011 14:01

Actually, how did they convict her, when a procedural thing like missing evidence seems to be the golden ticket for actual criminals to get off?
Yes, I know she is still being punished, bad turn of phrase, sorry. From my own point of view I could cope with a curfew a thousand times better than being locked up, esp with a small baby. But I realise it's not much comfort if you are INNOCENT

KRIKRI · 14/08/2011 14:09

Although she's been released from prison, she is still serving out the remainder of her 3 year sentence under home detention. Everything about this case is infuriating and depressing. As long as the criminal record is there, she knows she has no chance of her chosen career in childcare or care of the elderly as she would never get through a Disclosure check.

From the article, it sounds like it would have been nigh on impossible to have inflicted most of her injuries on herself, yet is the belief that she fabricated the allegations to get back at other people (but not the attacker) and her injuries were self-inflicted that led to the conviction.

It sounds like the police made a complete balls up of forensic testing - not bothering to test most of the clothes she was wearing, not following up male blood found at the scene, the lab losing the sample of male pubic hair found on Layla.

And this - I mean it is just horrific.

"Layla's description of one of the attackers closely matched that of a suspect in other attacks in the area. Layla's family and a case worker who represented her believe that one of the many troubling aspects of her conviction is that while Layla is in jail, her attackers are out there, posing a threat to women."

Big thanks to everyone who is spreading the word on this. Is it possible to put links here?

OP posts:

tethersend · 14/08/2011 14:16

I read the article too, and just wanted to add my support.

Ponders · 14/08/2011 14:16

I read the piece yesterday & was completely confused by the whole thing - the way the police suddenly started accusing her made no sense at all.

It made me wonder if those responsible might be connected in some way to the investigating team?

StayFrosty · 14/08/2011 14:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lisad123 · 14/08/2011 14:26

thats awful. Maybe if the police spent more time working on the rapes than pointing fingers at woman who do report they would get better rape convictions. Why are rape convictions so low??
Thats poor girl and her family. :(

DontCallMePeanut · 14/08/2011 14:46

I still don't feel my blog has covered my anger at this.

If anyone has anything they think I should change or add, please let me know

DontCallMePeanut · 14/08/2011 14:49

Ponders, that's my suspiscion, too. I've lost a lot of faith in the Police system over the past month or so.

sakura · 14/08/2011 14:57

there has been a few cases similar to this recently. I remember one about 5 months ago (forgotten her name) and a MNer was visiting her in jail to tell her everyone was rooting for her. Her husband and kids were falling apart without her at home, and all because she'd been brave enough to report her rape.

I remember the discussion about the case on MN at the time. The conclusion was that this is all part of a massive backlash against women and their rights. THe Condems set this precedent when they a) proposed that one of their first policy changes would be to give anonymity to rapists and not for any other criminals b) They targeted women for cuts (the Fawcett society took them to the Equalities Commission over this) c) removed funding from battered women's shelters.
Now this. Women who dare to attempt to get their rapist convicted end up in jail.

Women. Know your place. Rape. is. every. man's. right. And women who don't get this yet, by getting too uppity and daring to try to get a conviction, will be witch-hunted.

sakura · 14/08/2011 15:00

I don't consider this this government or the police to be legitimate.

To me, they are just taking women's taxes to fund whatever they want (wars etc) but women are not given fair representation in court. It's not democratic and it's not legitimate. No other group of people would stand for this type of persecution except women.

DontCallMePeanut · 14/08/2011 15:00

We need to find someway to do something about this. Not just Layla's case, but every victim. I don't have the brain power to start a petition with the right wording atm, so anyone got any ideas?

sakura · 14/08/2011 15:42

to be honest, petitions don't work.
So, I think putting pressure on your MP, writing lots of letters and maybe even street-marching might work. The odds are stacked so against women that we have to put an exhorbitant amount of energy just to get the tiniest rights acknowledged

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