Reporting Rape

[LazyStupidandGodless]

I'm pretty new to MN and posted previously on another thread.

The man in question is an actor and pretty well known in his hometown of being a party-animal i.e. plying women with drugs so he could have sex with them when they were in no condition to give their consent. He is a rapist who took advantage of women in order to have unprotected sex with them.

The entire town turned a blind-eye to his sexual abuse, no one called him out on it. Maybe they'd have done something if they'd known he was putting women's sexual health at risk - women who would have been someone's sister, niece, daughter. Being a heavy cocaine addict, his ex-partner of 4 years has already reported him to the police for being abusive.

I was advised to approach my local ISVA but they are inundated and have closed their waiting-list,... such is the extent of sexual violence against women.

Have also been told that my phone will be taken away for evidence, does anyone know if that's true?

If he is charged and the case goes to court, it could be 2 years until he is put on trial. I don't know if I can wait that long, apparently lots of women drop out cos they can't live with the torment which means that rape has effectively been decriminalised.

I want to write to his MP to flag how a sexual predator was allowed to roam free - I am caught between feelings of rage, despair and fear that he could come for me if he finds out that I have reported him.

And yes, I should have known better than to get involved with him but the shame must be with him.

Could really do with some advice and support.

Yes your phone will be taken as evidence and it takes ages as they go through forensics which means that if things are deleted they can find them. You can't go to your mp without any evidence. What are they supposed to do ? If you bring a case it will be invested and subsequently sentanced if found guilty
It does often take years but a fair trail and ensuring evidence is robust is in your interests as well as his

This government has pledged to half violence against women - so I'd want to hold them accountable to their promise. The MP is a woman too so maybe it's something that she'll want to look into.
Maybe I'm being completely naive but something has to change or nothing will change.
And it really irks me that this repugnant man is going about his daily life thinking that what he's done is acceptable.
I know that rape conviction/prosecution rates are extremely low in this country but we really need to start speaking up about sexual abuse.

No your phone won't be taken away. They will look at his.

What will happen is you will be asked to make a video recorded Interview statement.
You can either accept or decline this. They do it this way because if it goes to court you as the victim won't have to be present in the court room.

They will arrest him so that he makes his statement and then let him go on bail.

They will talk to anyone you have told so that they can build up more of a picture of what happened by their statements of what you have said.

They will do the same for him if he has said anything to anybody.

The case will be reviewed and CPS will decide whether to take it to court.

My phone was never touched or looked at. I am going through it myself and know the process.
The police want to help. Please report it. Don't let him get away with anything. I hope you heal and I am so immensely sorry that it happened xx

It's a particular bugbear of mine when people turn a blind eye to predators because these people destroy so many lives.

I'm sorry this happened to you and the fault lies with the perpetrator.

You can contact Rape Crisis any time for support. Another great organisation is the Survivor's Trust who have a good helpline and can help you find specialist counselling.

I made my report yesterday and it feels like such a weight off my shoulders and heart.

My ISVA arranged a meeting with a SOIT officer because I had questions about whether I could remain anonymous - this person could make life very difficult for me plus he has physically threatened me.

I've taken months to mull things over - wondering if I could bear this matter dragging out or whether I should just drop it and let it be another one of the 5 in 6 rapes that go unreported.

It's been really upsetting for my mental health and I've had to receive counselling to manage my suicidal thoughts.

I have no idea if the police will investigate it or if they'll conclude that there isn't enough evidence. I just knew that I had to take action whatever the outcome may be - I really hope that this gets picked up because men need to realise that abusing women has serious consequences and that they cannot get away with rape.

Thank you all so much for your support.

Well done for reporting this. I know how daunting it is. My heart is with you and I hope that everything is going as smoothly as it can. You can message me anytime you want or need. I am going through the same process and understand how you feel Xx