The Tribune

By CARA BETHEL

ALL rape cases should be fast-tracked by the courts to help victims achieve justice, says one rape survivor.

The woman, who has spoken exclusively to The Tribune, said every case should be heard as quickly as possible because of the sensitivity of evidence in this type of crime.

Whitney Brown was sexually assaulted several years ago when a man broke into her home in the early hours and attacked her after demanding money.

Whitney, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, wants police to always notify the public in cases of sexual assault so that women can take steps to protect themselves.

Alerting women that a predator is at large is vital for their own protection, said Whitney, who prefers to call herself a survivor of rape rather than a victim,

Last month, police launched an island-wide hunt for two men suspected of raping almost a dozen women in their homes, including a former Parliamentarian and the niece of a prominent politician.

However, they came under fire for the delay in making the information public. Police say that they held their silence in an effort to protect the victims and ensure that their identities were protected.

“In my case, I was glad that they didn’t release my identity through the whole ordeal and trial,” Whitney said.

“However, I do believe that police need to keep putting out the alerts, because people need to protect themselves, and this way women will know that they have to be careful and that no one is immune. But people have to be mindful and sensitive about this, because as a victim you don’t want to be named.”

While she admits that she does not know if an alert would have necessarily prevented her rape, she said it allows the community to work together to protect women if they know that someone is on the prowl.

Whitney, who herself works in the legal system, said that the government needs to do more to help women receive justice. She said that in her own situation, despite an arrest just days after the rape occurred, it took almost a year before the case was brought to trial.

“It was like, I was just at the point in counselling where I was beginning to heal and move on, when ‘bam’, I have to face this person and relive the whole experience,” she said.

Whitney said that she would like to see legislation passed that would fast track all rape cases, so that victims and their families do not have to wait such an agonisingly long time before their day in court.

“Also, there is certain evidence that does not hold up for long periods of time, and so a swifter trial would ensure that it could be used,” she said.

Whitney said that the system failed her during the trial, because the jury was not given all the evidence. She also thinks that juries need training for the type of evidence that is given in a rape trial because it is not the same as in other criminal trials.

“I think that juries should be trained as to what to listen for, because in a rape trial, it comes down to whether or not the woman gave consent and in my case, the defence built this case which was all about trying to establish that I knew this person and it was a love affair gone bad, but even if I did know this person – which I didn’t – it would never have justified what he did to me,” she said.

READ Whitney’s full account of her ordeal and what she thinks should be done to address the taboo of rape in society in tomorrow’s Big T edition of The Tribune.