Stacey Dooley has admitted she doesn’t think she would go to the police if she was raped.
The TV presenter, 38, is fronting the new BBC documentary Rape On Trial, which covers the delays to court cases and waiting times for victims of alleged rape and sexual assault.
Discussing the series, Stacey said she doesn’t think she would feel ‘confident’ going to the police if she was raped after seeing first-hand some victims’ experiences with the legal process.
She told Radio Times: ‘If somebody raped me, I don’t think I would go to the police, which is so bleak and such a disappointing realisation… But in terms of what I’ve witnessed, I wouldn’t feel confident.’
She went on to explain how women have been inspired by France’s Gisele Pelicot, who waived her right to anonymity after being drugged by her husband Dominique Pelicot and raped by him and dozens of other men between 2011 and 2020.
Ms Pelicot was informed of his crimes by police after they seized his devices and he was jailed for 20 years for drugging her, recruiting strangers to rape her, and raping her himself over nine years.
Stacey Dooley has admitted she doesn’t think she would go to the police if she was raped after seeing women’s experiences while fronting the new BBC documentary Rape On Trial
Stacey called Ms Pelicot a ‘powerhouse’ and said she wonders ‘if even she really understands the magnitude of what she’s done for other women’ by waiving her right to anonymity.
The media personality said the bravery it takes to report rape and sexual assault ‘is unbelievable’ as ‘it’s one of the few crimes where your credibility is immediately brought into question’.
With the women I spoke to, the concern was always, ”If I go to the police, will they believe me?”,’ Stacey added.
The documentary sees Stacey speak to a group of women who have waived their right to anonymity after reporting being raped.
She spends three years following the complainants in the lead up to trial as they fight to have their voices heard in court.
There is a record-high crown court backlog in England and Wales, which has almost doubled in five years to 73,105 at the end of September last year.
The Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Newlove published a report earlier this month which found many victims of serious offences including rape, murder and robbery, are facing years-long waits for justice.
The report also said that victims are struggling to cope, with many unable to work or turning to drugs, alcohol and self-harm as they face the uncertainty.
Stacey said the bravery it takes to report rape and sexual assault ‘is unbelievable’ as ‘it’s one of the few crimes where your credibility is immediately brought into question’
Chief Constable Sarah Crew, of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), said the ‘effective investigation and prosecution of rape’ is ‘one of the most important challenges facing the criminal justice system’.
She said: ‘We are working hard in policing to improve our response to rape and sexual offences.
‘All 43 police forces in England and Wales have signed up to Operation Soteria, a transformational approach to rape and sexual offences investigation.
‘This has seen policing open its doors to scrutiny from independent academics to look at the way police investigate rape.
‘We are facing this directly, transparently and uncompromisingly. This process is not easy, but it is vital.
‘Delivering rape investigations differently is helping us to rebuild trust and confidence, and we are seeing a steep increase in arrests and charges.
‘According to the crime survey of England and Wales, fewer than one in six victims of rape and assault by penetration report the crime to the police.
She said women have been inspired by Gisele Pelicot, who waived her anonymity after being drugged by her husband Dominique Pelicot and raped by him and dozens of other men
‘We believe the work we are doing under Operation Soteria is starting to close this gap, enabling more victims to pursue justice and allowing policing to bring more offenders to justice.
‘However, policing cannot do this alone, so we are working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service and across the criminal justice system to ensure that every agency plays their part in tackling this horrific crime.’
She urged victims of rape or sexual assault to report their incidents to the police saying they would be ‘treated sensitively’ and with ‘respect and empathy’.
The full interview is available in the Radio Times and online at radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/stacey-dooley-critics.
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