A woman who reported a sexual assault that took place in 2010 has described her experience of giving evidence in court, three years after making a report to police, and the moment a jury returned a not guilty verdict.
In July 2024, she flew from New Zealand to London to take the stand. The assault happened in 2010, when a friend stayed at her home after a night out. She woke to find him with his fingers inside her. She said she chose not to tell anyone at the time and continued a friendship with him, making sure she was never left alone with him.
Reporting after years of silence
She moved from the UK to New Zealand in 2016. During the Covid pandemic, she began having nightmares and had therapy. After about five months, she said she was able to admit what had happened. She wrote a blog about it and later learned the man had admitted the assault to a mutual friend, saying he had apologised the next day.
She made an online report to the Met Police while still in New Zealand. It took 18 months for the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether to press charges. She said she was told it was rare for historical cases to go to court. Eventually, the man was charged with assault by penetration.
Rape myths used in defence
Before the trial, the judge explained rape myths to the jury, but the defence used them during cross-examination. Her decision to resume the friendship, photographs of them together, and a kiss months before the assault were all raised. The prosecutor asked her few questions, she said, and she was not given the chance to counter the defence's assertions.
She was called back for a second day because the court ran out of time. On the second day, the defence said: 'I put it to you that you're lying.' She replied: 'You're wrong.' The judge asked her why she had gone back to being friends with him. She said: 'It was easier for me to be friends with him.'
Not guilty verdict and aftermath
After returning to New Zealand, she received a text from the police sexual assault liaison officer saying the jury had found him not guilty. She said she was not surprised. She started therapy again in August 2024.
She said she is still angry with a system that tells victims not to be 'too much' and then shuns them when the verdict is not guilty. She wrote the piece anonymously because victims are not allowed to use their names. Looking back, she said she would take the stand again, but would ignore the prosecution's advice. Her only regret, she said, is not saying everything she wanted to say.
