KU rape victim talks about her experience

A KU student has spoken out about being raped so other women who have had similar experiences would not feel alone.

The student who was allegedly raped after a night out has relived her experience by speaking to The River.

The 21-year-old student was at a nightclub in Kingston just after Christmas when she sprained her foot and a man offered to help her home. She explained she accepted the offer as she could hardly walk, but the walk home turned into her worst nightmare when he would not take no for an answer.

The student said the reason she is speaking up now, despite the fact she has not reported the incident to the police, is because someone needs to end the shame around rape: “I want people who have gone through similar things to know they’re not alone.

“There is such a stigma around rape and victims are being blamed, the subject is so taboo. I don’t want to be labelled as the girl who got so drunk that she got raped, but someone has to talk about it if things are ever going to change.”

The 21-year-old explained the man was a perfect gentleman on the way home, but when they reached her private accommodation in Kingston, he would not leave.

She said her memory of how the man got inside is hazy, but she clearly remembered asking him to leave because she wanted to sleep, but after insisting he leave, her memory is blank: “He continued asking if he could sleep over and I told him no, not under any circumstances.

“After that I must have passed out drunk, because the next thing I remember is him on top of me, and I couldn’t stop him.”

She went on explaining the surreal experience of coming to the next morning and finding the man sleeping next to her in the bed: “I just started yelling at him to get the f**k out.

“I didn’t realise what had happened at first. I was in denial and then images started flowing back.”

The student did not report the incident to the police after she realised what had happened for several reasons, but chief among them was the fact she thought she would not be believed.

“I have no evidence that it wasn’t consensual – it would be my word against his. I don’t know who the guy is. I just want to forget it.

“If I had known that he would get caught, I probably would report it, but must cases are dismissed due to lack of evidence. The odds aren’t really in your favour if you report it.”

A spokesperson for the Kingston Police urged people who had experienced sexual offences to come forward: “We cannot begin any type of investigation if people do not report it. We can only act on intelligence we receive and attacks that are reported.”