Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Trigger Warning. She doesn't want to involve police

55 replies

Worriedme55 · 27/11/2022 09:25

Trigger warning

Last night my 18yr old dd was in a drunken state and sobbing. She has been upset all week after a worrying incident that happened the weekend before.
She broke down and admitted she'd been raped. She was out clubbing last weekend and bumped into an old school friend. Then met this other random bloke too who is the same age as me. He said he was having an after party and my dd decided to go back to his with the school friend also. She was very very drunk at the time. She has undiagnosed adhd and takes silly risks and drinks too much which means she makes wrong decisions. We'd also had an argument beforehand so she was upset when going out which didn't help.
So the next morning she calls me from this blokes flat without him knowing. I listened to the call and he was being a bit aggressive in tone and didn't want my dd to leave. She went to the toilet and told me he was in the way of the door and she couldn't leave. She was so drunk she didn't know where she was so I couldn't tell police. I told her to call 999. She eventually managed to get the address and I went immediately to get her. She was still with the school friend too and they had got out after an argument. Dd called 999 after the bloke started shouting at her. On arrival my dd looked terrible. Make up smudged, filthy clothes and her jeans were on inside out. I got her straight in the car and took her home.
An hour later police turned up unannounced and asked if she'd been assaulted. She said no. Apparently he is a known offender. They made sure my dd was safe and well and that was it until last night.
She won't tell police again what happened as its too traumatising for her and she wants to move on and try and forget. How the hell do I help her get over it.

OP posts:
lemmein · 28/11/2022 10:05

I'm so sorry this happened to your DD op.

For those saying she needs to report it - my DDs rapist had raped 8 young women at the last count, the 8th being my DD. He's never spent one day in prison for rape - the police were aware of all 8!

The chances of getting a conviction for rape are minute. I don't blame anyone for choosing not to go through the degradation of reporting/examinations/trials in the knowledge that he'll probably walk free anyway. In addition, a lot of (stupid) people think no conviction means no guilt, therefore the victim is likely to be hounded by her peers for 'lying'.

Shush with your judgement -it's not the responsibility of the OPs 18 year old DD to stop this man from raping again.

lemmein · 28/11/2022 10:09

I hope you have some support IRL too OP; it's an horrendous thing for the whole family to go through.

ElsaMars · 28/11/2022 10:16

Gosh, so sorry this happened to your DD. My eldest is only 10 but I read your OP and immediately felt such anger at that bastard. Please look after your self and emotions too, I can't even imagine x

TheSilentPicnic · 28/11/2022 10:50

RambamThankyouMam · 27/11/2022 10:34

She needs to involved the police.

If the last girl he raped had done so, maybe he wouldn't have been able to offend again.

Why should he keep getting away with it?

No, she doesn't. It is not her fault that he rapes women and actually, if the last victim had reported him there is still little chance that he would have been found guilty and imprisoned. The system doesn't exactly work in favour of victims.

What matters is the care the young woman receives. What is said to her now and the care she is shown will have a huge impact on the speed and depth of her recovery. Choose your words carefully, let her lead and just be there to support her whether it's driving her to medical/therapeutic appointments or taking her away for a couple of days or letting her bury it until she feels ready to face it... only she can know what it is she needs.

Rape is about power and control so it is vital that she feels she is in control. The worst thing to do would be to tell her what she should and shouldn't do, or express any sort of judgement about her behaviour or involvement. She will already be drowning in shame, that's what sexual abuse does.

I am not convinced that the legal system offers victims much... she needs the people who love her most to be around, to let her be, and to know that they accept how she is dealing with it.

LakieLady · 28/11/2022 11:29

Your poor daughter, my heart really goes out to her.

I think whether or not to report has to be her choice, OP. It's hard, I know, but she's the one that will have to go through the process of being examined, making a statement etc, and the process can be traumatic.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page