jimpeel
Member
Agricola
This seems to lend credibility to the "lack of police resources" allegation.
LINK
FIVE-HOUR TRAUMA FOR RAPE VICTIM (AND THAT WAS AFTER THE ATTACK)
11:00 - 14 August 2003
A Suspected rape victim endured a five-hour wait for a medical examination because there was no police doctor available. The woman, who had claimed she was raped by four men, was told she could not drink any water or go to the toilet during the delay, in a bid to preserve evidence.
The office worker, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said the delays left her feeling "sick and dirty".
The incident took place on December 22, 2001, but details have only just emerged after the case against the four men accused of raping her collapsed.
Less than eight per cent of rape allegations in Bristol result in a guilty conviction and the woman at the centre of the case has spoken out to draw attention to the disparity in figures.
The five-hour wait was caused because there was only one Force Medical Examiner on call.
The examiner, a GP who covers Easton, St Paul's and the city centre for her police work, was called at 6.30am but she was engaged on another job and she did not begin the full medical examination until 11.30am.
The woman at the centre of the allegations said: "Victims of sex assaults should not have to wait several hours for a medical examination to begin.
"I felt dirty. It was a nightmare and there didn't seem to be any end. I just wanted to shower but I knew I couldn't. After what had happened I felt these delays just prolonged the agony.
"The actual police investigation was excellent and no stone was left unturned. I don't want to put off rape victims from coming forward but I have to speak out."
The woman, who is in her 20s and from Bristol, claimed she had been raped by four men at a house in Filton after a night out in Bristol.
She has no memory of a four-hour period from midnight and said she woke up at 4am naked in a room to find a stranger having sex with her.
The woman raised the alarm as soon as she was on her own, at 5.50am.
The importance of early medical intervention is vital in preserving evidence and checking for date rape drugs, which can disappear from the system within a few hours of being consumed.
Police spokesman Paul Gainey said: "The Force Medical Examiner is contracted to the police on a shift-to-shift basis. We don't have any jurisdiction over them. There is one examiner per district. Ideally an examination would not be delayed, but on rare occasions it does happen.
"The officers took advantage of the time caused by the delay to investigate the case. The woman was driven to identify the house where the incident allegedly took place. Although the full medical examination wasn't carried out for five hours, mouth swabs were taken by a police officer.
"Two officers worked on the case and four men were charged."
[email protected]
This seems to lend credibility to the "lack of police resources" allegation.
LINK
FIVE-HOUR TRAUMA FOR RAPE VICTIM (AND THAT WAS AFTER THE ATTACK)
11:00 - 14 August 2003
A Suspected rape victim endured a five-hour wait for a medical examination because there was no police doctor available. The woman, who had claimed she was raped by four men, was told she could not drink any water or go to the toilet during the delay, in a bid to preserve evidence.
The office worker, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said the delays left her feeling "sick and dirty".
The incident took place on December 22, 2001, but details have only just emerged after the case against the four men accused of raping her collapsed.
Less than eight per cent of rape allegations in Bristol result in a guilty conviction and the woman at the centre of the case has spoken out to draw attention to the disparity in figures.
The five-hour wait was caused because there was only one Force Medical Examiner on call.
The examiner, a GP who covers Easton, St Paul's and the city centre for her police work, was called at 6.30am but she was engaged on another job and she did not begin the full medical examination until 11.30am.
The woman at the centre of the allegations said: "Victims of sex assaults should not have to wait several hours for a medical examination to begin.
"I felt dirty. It was a nightmare and there didn't seem to be any end. I just wanted to shower but I knew I couldn't. After what had happened I felt these delays just prolonged the agony.
"The actual police investigation was excellent and no stone was left unturned. I don't want to put off rape victims from coming forward but I have to speak out."
The woman, who is in her 20s and from Bristol, claimed she had been raped by four men at a house in Filton after a night out in Bristol.
She has no memory of a four-hour period from midnight and said she woke up at 4am naked in a room to find a stranger having sex with her.
The woman raised the alarm as soon as she was on her own, at 5.50am.
The importance of early medical intervention is vital in preserving evidence and checking for date rape drugs, which can disappear from the system within a few hours of being consumed.
Police spokesman Paul Gainey said: "The Force Medical Examiner is contracted to the police on a shift-to-shift basis. We don't have any jurisdiction over them. There is one examiner per district. Ideally an examination would not be delayed, but on rare occasions it does happen.
"The officers took advantage of the time caused by the delay to investigate the case. The woman was driven to identify the house where the incident allegedly took place. Although the full medical examination wasn't carried out for five hours, mouth swabs were taken by a police officer.
"Two officers worked on the case and four men were charged."
[email protected]
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