Woman says Lincolnshire Police officers are not taking her rape case seriously
A woman says she has been denied by justice after a ‘tick box’ investigation by police into an historic rape.
The woman, who is not being named for legal reasons, says she was raped by her doctor in the early 1990s and felt she was not believed after contacting Lincolnshire Police.
She is now calling on the force to conduct a thorough investigation and is hoping that by sharing her story that it will encourage other abuse victims to put pressure on the police to act.
The woman, who is in her 50s, feels let down that police did not interview other possible witnesses along with the unsupportive attitudes of the detectives who did not keep in touch with her.
She also says her recent experience with the force is very different from the support she received from Norfolk Police when they investigated and prosecuted a relative for sexually abusing her as a child.
The woman said: “There has been a huge difference between the two investigations. With childhood sexual abuse they took that far more seriously. He was prosecuted and admitted it. I felt listened to. They came over and did the interview face to face. They came to my house and were really supportive and kept in touch with me.
“With Lincolnshire, the attitude was ‘what do you want to do with this’. It was very laissez faire. I traipsed over for a video interview. I asked why did you make me do that? Why didn't they interview him first? It was crazy.
“I am not happy with Lincolnshire Police. When the detective called to tell me no further action was taken, she said: ‘I did tell you this’. I told her that this wasn’t about how Lincolnshire Police uses its resources, this is about me. This is about how I feel and my need to be heard. She said: ‘What did you expect?
“Lincolnshire Police in comparison to Norfolk have been awful.
“I think it was a tick box exercise.”
The woman said that she feels that she had been groomed by the doctor, whilst she was a patient at the surgery. The doctor had offered to counsel her after she had been to regular "last of the day" appointments due to the trauma of her childhood abuse.
It was during a counselling session in 1990/91 that the doctor had got up and pulled her out of her seat by her hands before raping her. She feels that he had prepared for the attack by having a condom in his pocket.
“I froze. I didn’t feel like I could say anything” said the woman.
“I have no doubt today that I had been groomed. The doctor was charming, friendly and kind. I think people associate rape with violence. It is not always about violence. It is the inability to say no to someone who has more power than you. He was my doctor and I trusted him".
The woman, who now works in safeguarding, says she was attacked in woods behind a pub on a second occasion by the doctor after he had suggested they meet for lunch.
She said: “There was no lunch.”
The woman went to the police in February this year to report both attacks and told the detective that she wanted to press ahead with legal action as the man needed to held to account. The woman also believes there must have been other victims.
The woman said that she went over to Lincoln for a video interview and they also interviewed the man, who denied it.
She said: “I did ask the police if they had questioned ex-staff, patients or if they had bothered to investigate.
“It felt like I wasn’t believed. It feels like unless you have video evidence, they are not interested.
“To get justice would be huge for me as it would feel like I was listened to. I feel very very sad for the young woman that I was then that I didn’t feel able to say anything. But I can try to get her justice now”.
A police spokesman said: “We’re unable to confirm details of individual complaints we may have received. We always welcome feedback about our service so that we can continue to learn and make adjustments if needed, and we would encourage anyone who is dissatisfied to make a complaint through the official channels, which are easily accessible on our website.”
