Rape complainant told by police 'nothing would come of taking case to court' paid damages

• Report by Granada Reports journalist Emma Sweeney

A mother who says police dismissed her fears that she had been drugged and raped, and said "nothing would come" of taking her case to court, has received £8,000 in damages.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) paid the money to the woman, who says officers also told her and her husband to go see her alleged attacker and "set the record straight".

Sarah - not her real name - say the experience left her feeling so low she wanted to take her own life, and has accused GMP of 'not caring'.

"The longer is goes on, the more you feel worthless," she said.

"There's been days I've been sat at the end of the bed and thought 'you know what, if I went and drove off a cliff now', that's how bad at one point I got.

"To feel like the easiest option is to take your own life because that's how I felt and this is all down to the police, they don't care, at all."

• 'Sarah' spoke to Granada Reports journalist Emma Sweeney about how she was treated.

Sarah was visited by two police officers in July 2019 after she complaining she had woken up in a strange house, was fully undressed and in pain.

"I woke up, I was just in a bra, I was in an unknown location, I didn't know where I was, who I was with," she says.

"I went home and went to sleep on the sofa, when I woke up, I've gone to the toilet and realised it was very painful - worse than child birth, that's when I realised something has happened, something isn't right."

At first, the officers failed to take a statement or arrange physical tests to back up her claims.

It was only when she called police for a second time, and insisted her case be properly investigated, her case was taken seriously.

She said: "I tried to explain what had happened as best I could as I still couldn’t make sense of what was going on and I was still feeling dizzy, even when officers arrived.

"I told them I thought I had been drugged and raped.

"The woman officer took me into a room on my own and advised me that reporting a rape meant ‘it would be over mine and my family’s heads for quite a while’, that it would ‘take a year to resolve’ and that if it went to court ‘nothing would come of it’.

"Then we went back in the other room and in front of everyone she said to my husband ‘I recommend you go to him (the alleged attacker) and see if you can set the record straight’.

"I felt like I had been treated disgustingly, I was just a number not a person.

"My sexual violence support adviser says it’s the worst case she has ever dealt with. I have felt like giving up, it’s affected not just me but the whole family."

Sarah, who believes her drink was spiked in a bar, was eventually examined following an 11-hour wait and gave a statement, but says GMP has since given little update on the progress of the case.

GMP say a 43-year-old man has been arrested, and a criminal investigation is currently on-going.

It added: "The Professional Standards Branch is conducting a thorough investigation into this case but this is currently on hold until the criminal investigation has been concluded and so it would be inappropriate to comment any further at this time.

"We always strive to place victim care at the heart of everything we do and we expect our officers and staff to uphold the highest standards, and whenever we fall short of expectations it is important it is reported so we can take appropriate action wherever necessary.

"We will endeavour to keep the victim in this case informed of our progress in both these matters."

The force has agreed to pay Sarah £8,000 in damages following a legal claim, led by Hudgell Solicitors, in relation to how she was initially treated by officers who first visited her.

Associate solicitor Nicola Bailey-Gibbs said: “My client was treated in a wholly inappropriate manner, and it was a shocking error of judgment by trained police officers who completely failed in their duty of care.”

She said it was the third case within two years in which GMP has paid damages to clients of Hudgell Solicitors, due to concerns over the way allegations of sexual assaults on women had been investigated.

In 2020, a five-figure damages settlement was paid to a woman who was mocked in emails between officers after she alleged she was raped.

Earlier this year the force also agreed compensation with a homeless woman after it was alleged the force had failed to properly investigate an assault on her.

As part of that case, it was alleged that had the police undertaken a proportionate investigation, they would have established a link to four other alleged sexual assaults involving homeless women.

Mrs Bailey-Gibbs added: “This is a worrying pattern. We know from the many victims of sexual assault we support that finding the courage to speak out and make allegations is so, so difficult.

“Being treated in this way will only make more people reluctant to come forward and would of course sadly make the world a more dangerous place for women.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Michaela Kerr, Greater Manchester Police's Head of Public Protection, said: "Firstly, one victim let down by GMP is one too many and we are wholly committed to improving our service.

In 2019 and 2020, we successfully progressed 821 sexual offences to magistrates courts and 460 to crown courts whilst providing specialist support to victims throughout the criminal justice process.

We understand the trauma these crimes cause on victims and the bravery it requires to come forward and report it and whilst we recognise we may not always get it right, Greater Manchester Police is determined to do everything in our power to prevent predatory behaviour and prosecute those who offend."