Stacey Dooley: I had bleak realisation I don't think I would go to the police if I was raped

The 38-year-old’s new programme, Rape On Trial, will be released this week and follows 22-year-old Jessie, who has reported being raped by an ex-boyfriend, 19-year-old Emma, who alleges she has been orally raped by a fellow college student, and 22-year-old Becca, who reported being raped by someone she was dating, having had consensual sex earlier that evening.

Filmed over three years, the two-part series covers the delays to court cases and waiting times for victims of alleged rape and sexual assault, and the difficulties that come with reporting rape when the alleged perpetrator is someone you know.

Speaking to the Radio Times, Dooley said: “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 said that women have been inspired by France’s Gisele Pelicot, who was drugged by her husband Dominique Pelicot, and raped by him and dozens of other men, between 2011 and 2020.

Dooley called her a “powerhouse” and said she wonders “if even she really understands the magnitude of what she’s done for other women”, following Ms Pelicot waiving her right to anonymity by speaking at the trial.

The TV presenter 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”.

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.

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 explained: “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. 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”.

Ms Crew added: “We work closely with sexual assault referral centres (Sarcs) and independent sexual violence advisers (ISVAs) and we would urge anyone who is not comfortable with going to the police to use these independent specialist services instead.”

Rape on Trial will be available on BBC Three and iPlayer from 9.00pm on Thursday, March 13.