'You have to relive it constantly': Newcastle rape survivor on 'trauma' of getting justice
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A woman who was raped 40 years ago has described how she was "traumatised" all over again by the trial which brought her attacker to justice.
Wendy Forrester, from Newcastle, lived with the trauma of her rape for the best part of four decades.
She said she was traumatised all over again when she relived it during a trial in 2018.
She said: "You’re asked why you were out late at night, why you were walking along the street and did you know the person and all of this, well, you don’t. And then you’ve got to relive it and answer the questions because they just fire and fire and fire them at you and they are trying to trip you up constantly.
"I came out of the court and I was shaking and felt as if you’ve got to relive it constantly and then you’ve got to tell them constantly that it wasn’t your fault, but you’re made to feel as if it is."
The experiences of rape victims are one of the reasons the Government has made changes to how the crime is investigated and dealt with at court.
Newcastle Crown Court is one of three in the country to pilot new technology aimed at supporting victims, including a remote room where they can give evidence via a camera, but also listen in to hear their attackers being sentenced.
Court manager, Craig Stapleton, said: "The individual will be in a separate room.
"They don’t need to stare or look at the defendant in an open court room. They are sat in a relaxed environment where they can have refreshments and have support by professional services."
Prerecorded cross examination of victims and stopping unnecessary requests for their phones has also been introduced by the government.
A report by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice has claimed the government had already met two of the three ambitions set out in the rape review ahead of schedule, including restoring the number of police referrals and cases reaching court to 2016 levels.
The third ambition, to increase charges, is on track to be exceeded in 2024, according to the report.
Campaigners who support rape survivors have welcomed progress, but said the government is too quick to celebrate - and there is more to be done.
Jacqui Hall from Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland said: "We are pleased to see that they’ve made progress, for example the 24/7 helpline that’s run by Rape Crisis England and Wales, we’re pleased to see that, however we feel they need to be more ambitious about their targets.
"For example, the charge rates of 2016 were shockingly low and we don’t think that that is a target to be reaching for.
"Similarly, the backlog for adult sexual assault and rape cases in crown court is higher than it’s ever been before and finally, we really do believe that to see this transformational change of it becoming victim focused rape investigations, we would really want detail about how this is going to be monitored and implemented across the country."
Other changes implemented by the government include:
Restoring number of police referrals to 2016 levels
Investigations focus on defendant's behaviour rather than survivor's
Increasing funding for support services
Driving down court backlogs
24/7 helpline for rape survivors
If you have been affected by this story you can find more support here.
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