This is most likely in the wrong section but I wasn't sure where to put it so apologies in advance.
A few months ago, I was at my mum's house when she received a call from the police telling her that my younger sister had been the victim of a sexual assault the previous night. All I knew of it really is that she had been out in town (she's 21) and she had been assaulted by a man who is already known to the police. They'd arrested the guy and that was the last I heard of it. My sister didn't want anyone to know and so I acted like I had no idea that my mum had told me.
Anyway yesterday my mum called round and she told me the full extent. My sister was out with friends but wanted to go home early when a boy that she was friends with suggested instead of her walking into town on her own to get a taxi which would be dangerous at that time of night, she should walk with him to his house and call a taxi from there, suggesting that a female friend she was out with would go along to his house also once she wanted to go home. My sister went along with him however once she got to his house, he took her upstairs and raped her. Multiple times. He then took away her phone and locked her in his bedroom. When her female friend came along later, he told her that my sister wasn't feeling well so she was asleep in his room and to not disturb her. In the morning he let her out of the bedroom and gave her her phone so she text my mum asking what she was up to that day knowing that she would reply straight away and then used her reply text as an excuse to leave. She went straight to the police and was sent to a specialist hospital to be checked over.
This guy has been in court before over sexual assault charges but was cleared due to lack of evidence. He then raped another girl multiple times a week before my sister. He has pleaded not guilty and therefore my sister will have to attend a trial.
She is a quite a big personality and she is masking whatever feelings she has about the whole ordeal very well although I'm more than sure she is going through hell, I can't even imagine. But this means that she is also being very private. It has been almost three months since she was raped and the only reason I was told the full story is because her female friend is telling people on social media and my sister didn't want me to find out through that.
I feel like it's selfish of me to now ask the question, how do you cope when someone you love goes through something like that? She is my little sister and I'm supposed to protect her and instead one of the worst things has happened to her and I can't get the idea out of my head of how she must have felt being locked in that room on her own after trusting someone she called a friend, to look after her. It's making me feel physically sick to my stomach and of course, I don't blame myself but I can't help but still feel horrible. I know she doesn't want to talk about it and is reluctant that I even know in the first place but I know how hard it can be when you go through something traumatic and feel like you have to keep everything bottled up and put on a brave face (I haven't been the victim of a sexual assault but I have had a traumatic experience of my own recently) I don't know if I can use that to try and identify with her although she has been through a LOT worse? Do I just carry on pretending I don't know? I don't want to drag up memories of something I'm sure she would rather forget. I know my parents are having a hard time and it makes it harder that we aren't allowed to tell anyone, not even other family. I know the damage has already been done but I've not been in a situation where this has happened to someone I know and I'm not sure how to cope with all the images in my head or how to help or anything :(