So... it is now ok to be sexually assaulted at a works party ....

I'm so sorry that happened to your sister OP. Sadly the police's reaction does not surprise me, recent events show the police are not on women's side.

I am convinced that the act of getting away with these smaller offences scot free is a major factor in them seeking out a bigger buzz, trying something more serious.

I wholeheartedly agree. And it goes beyond that into being valorised for this behaviour in lads' WhatsApp groups (some of the recent police ones). Some men admire eachother for being monsters to women.

We all know these minor crimes, and especially getting away with them, are what leads to bigger and more brazen crimes.

How many men in the w couzens bracket went from a perfectly decent man one day to an evil monster the next? None of them. They all passed through a bit of flashing, a low level assault etc before working their way up to something bigger.

I am convinced that the act of getting away with these smaller offences scot free is a major factor in them seeking out a bigger buzz, trying something more serious.

How can we change things and get police, judiciary, society to see that unless the smaller offences are taken seriously then we will keep having awful events? Things won't change until the underlying stuff changes. And letting get away with smaller stuff is a huge part of this

I'm so angry with men at the moment

wasn’t that serious of an assault (he’d shoved his hand down my pants and licked my ear)
Don't they understand that getting away with this encourages escalation. Not to say what happened isn't serious in itself.

@formalineadeline that was kind of my point - made in an angry, incoherent manner.

If a case with witnesses, CCTV and a confession isn't good enough for the police, then yes, there is a likelihood that even if they do go to court the jury will be sold some weird "She was wearing a thong" defence and he would be exonerated.

In no other kind of case would this happen.

CCTV evidence shows it DID happen - guilty
A witness confirms everything - guilty
He freely confessd - guilty

Sexual assualt or rape? Oh, no no no! There must be something else, we can't ruin his life, she must have asked for it, no CCTV or witness can tell us what he was feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeling at the time - not guilty.

Are you prepared to name the police force she reported the assault too. I appreciate it won't add to the discussion but I'm interested in whether it's a police force with form for treating women badly.

I don't really understand why there's a "now" in the thread title. It's not like the police's response to sexual assaults was better in the past or we have ever had a time where things weren't shit.

Look at the Big Dan's gang rape case in 1983. It encapsulates everything wrong with our systems and societies.

She should tell police yes she wishes to continue with the case.
And she should also make a formal complaint with HR.

A jury might acquit based on believing "she asked for it".

There's no such thing as a slam dunk sexual assault case in a victim blaming society with an adversarial jury trial system.

Put in a complaint about the police.

The police are shit and you should not assume they are on your side. They don't do support.

Use their system against them. A complaint does that.

In our legal system a victim is treated as a witness rather than a party to the case. Which is one of many many many reasons why our system fails victims.

Tell them yes please, I would like to pursue it.

And is there an HR department? Seek legal advice, as the employer should be doing more to protect its female staff especially as there are witnesses and cctv.

If the victim quit, she may deserve a pay out for constructive dismissal, she is being forced to quit her job in order to stay safe.

Its bullying and intimidation. If she left she'll have a good case for constructive dismissal btw.

Stickers. That's all I have to say.

She needs to complain either to the police force's complaints department directly or via the IOPC under the grounds of discrimination based on the protected characteristic of sex under the Equalities Act.

She needs to say that she does not believe the police would not have encouraged her to drop the case had she been a male victim of public sexual assault from another male.

The complaint may not be upheld, but it will register and make the complaint statistics.

The more women do this, the more it will help to break that notion in police heads that men sexually assaulting women is somehow "different".

It's worth rattling as many cages as possible. MP, PCC, IOPC etc.

A guy did this on a xmas night that my DH company held. The guy was sacked. He assaulted a few ladies. The lads got together and threw him out of tge party. The police were informed and his girlfriend kicked him out.

the man needs the sack, someone got raped at a christmas party at my old work years ago.

is that what it takes for people to care?

the assault is on CCTV and they have a witness and the person has admitted it. Then your DSis needs to SHOUT "YES FUCKING CHARGE HIM

Surely hers is the ONE case that is a slam fucking dunk for even the laziest, misogynistic police force anywhere. CCTV footage, a witness and a bloody confession. FFS!

I hope her Union make her employer see sense!

Fuck the police and fuck any HR team that lets him get away with it. If he worked in my company, his feet wouldn’t touch the fucking floor.