Woman who was raped held on to ‘guilt and shame’ for years but then took action to ‘show the world no means no’
A rape survivor who held on to “the guilt and the shame” for years before reporting her attacker has told Sky News she has now “passed it on to him” after he was jailed for seven years.
Warning: The following article contains details of serious sexual assault
The woman, who is retaining her legal right to anonymity, was raped by DJ Alisdair Randalls when she was just 18 in December 2015.
She told Sky News that she “never wanted to go to the police” but after years of suffering in silence she realised she had to take action to avoid anyone else potentially being hurt and to “show the world that no means no”.
Randalls, who was 21 at the time of the attack and is now 30, denied any wrongdoing but in April was found guilty of rape following a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen.
He was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on 15 May.
The woman, now 27, said: “I just felt like I had to help and put people like him away. You can’t live in fear of these people.
“I held the guilt and the shame and all of that for ages, for years.
“And I’ve passed it on to him. He can take it now. It’s on him to deal with it when he comes out.”
The pair had matched on Tinder and had been flirting for around three weeks before Randalls encouraged the teenager to meet him at his flat in Aberdeen after he had been out drinking.
The woman said Randalls had previously been “flirty and chatty” and appeared to be a “nice boy”.
However, when she changed her mind about having sex, he ignored her pleas to stop and went on to rape her.
During the attack, he seized her by the throat.
The woman, who described Randalls as “a devil and a beast”, confided in her flatmate and a friend over what happened.
She was then forced to seek therapy after being unable to cope with the aftermath of the rape.
‘I didn’t want to be here any more’
The woman said: “I did not know what to do with myself. I didn’t want to be here any more. It was that bad.
“It’s one of the worst things I’ve ever gone through in my life. I could not function.
“I felt guilty, I felt embarrassed, I felt ashamed. I was angry. I was like, ‘why me? Why did he pick me?’
“I cried all the time. It was honestly awful. I can’t really remember a lot of the emotions either, because I’ve kind of blocked it.”
The woman saw Randalls during a night out around a year after the attack.
She said he grabbed her arm and attempted to say hello, but she managed to escape and hid in the toilets.
The woman eventually reported Randalls in December 2021 and he was subsequently arrested and charged.
The woman said: “I felt no one would believe me.”
However, she received support from Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).
She said: “They were so understanding. They took their time with me. They were all lovely. They made me feel comfortable and not to feel embarrassed about it.”
‘The defence lawyer’s questioning felt personal’
The woman said the lengthy wait for the trial was difficult and in the lead-up to the proceedings she was “all over the place”.
At court, she was even caught off guard when she heard Randalls’ name over the tannoy.
The trial took four days and the woman felt the brunt of the defence lawyer as he attempted to clear his client.
She said: “It was a shock. Everyone warns you, saying ‘oh it’s tough’. But it was brutal.
“It felt like it was personal. They say it’s not and it’s just his job, but it felt personal. It felt nasty and he was trying to discredit me in any way.”
‘I felt like the judge took it seriously’
Following the conviction, sentencing Judge Lord Colbeck said Randalls accepted “no responsibility” for his crime.
He added: “You show little or no insight in to your offending behaviour and the impact this has had upon your victim.”
As well as the seven-year jail sentence, Randalls was also banned for life from contacting the woman and was placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.
The woman said she was “shocked” with the sentence, saying: “I didn’t expect that. I was stunned, I actually was. I felt like the judge took it seriously.”
The woman has dated since the attack, but is still “very, very wary”.
She said: “I genuinely thought he was a nice boy. So, just not knowing people’s true intentions, it does scare me.”
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The woman understands there will be many others who have suffered similar assaults but are too scared to come forward.
She admitted the court process is “not easy”, with some parts “completely out of your control”, but she stressed you “can’t let these people roam the streets”.
‘I have to show the world that no means no’
She said: “It’s a lengthy process, and it can be tedious waiting months and even years in my case to get anywhere. Sometimes I thought it was never-ending.
“Additionally, I thought it was difficult enough to tell friends and family, however, standing up to tell my story to 20 strangers was the part I felt most vulnerable.
“I definitely went through stages of being re-traumatised and it made everything that bit more physically and emotionally draining.
“There were points I wanted to give up. All I could tell myself was that even though I don’t want to do this, I have to do this.
“I have to protect every single woman from him. I have to make this world a safer place. I have to safeguard the future of young girls from monsters like him. I have to hold him accountable for what he has done. I have to show the world that no means no.
“I was not guaranteed a positive outcome, no one is, but all you have to do is try.
“If we don’t try then we won’t get anywhere. It’s so cliché but you don’t realise how strong you actually are. If I can do it, anyone can.”
‘You don’t need to cope alone’
Katrina Parkes, Scotland’s procurator fiscal for high court sexual offences, commended the woman “for her courage” in reporting Randalls and for helping to bring him to justice.
Sandy Brindley, the chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, is urging all those who are in need of support to get in touch.
She said: “No matter how long ago it happened, if you have been affected by sexual violence, you don’t need to cope alone.
“When you’re ready to talk, rape crisis services are ready to listen.”
Helplines if you are in need of support:
• Rape Crisis Scotland – 08088 01 03 02
• Rape Crisis England and Wales – 0808 500 2222
• Rape Crisis Network Ireland – 1800 778 888
• Rape Crisis Northern Ireland – 0800 0246 991
UK
Greater Manchester Police makes ‘improvements’ in treatment of women including new rules on strip searches – but questions remain after Sky News investigation
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says it has made wide-ranging changes to the treatment of women in custody, following a Sky News investigation.
This includes ending the use of police strip searches for “welfare” purposes and ensuring it is a “last resort” when looking for concealed items.
A Sky News investigation in 2023 into the custody practices of GMP led to an inquiry by former victims’ commissioner Dame Vera Baird.
In July 2024, the report found “horror stories” of police making “unlawful” arrests and unnecessary strip searches, sometimes to victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.
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From July 2023: Are women safe in custody?
A report today by the Greater Manchester mayor’s office welcomes the introduction of new measures including additional training for police officers dealing with domestic violence victims.
However, many victims are unconvinced. One such is Sophie, not her real name, telling her story for the first time.
She tells Sky News that even after the Baird Inquiry found her arrest was “unlawful” and the chief inspector called her treatment “appalling”, the police complaints department subsequently described the arrest as “acceptable”.
Sophie’s experience was investigated by Dame Vera alongside other women who Sky News spoke to last year.
She was arrested at 3am in the summer of 2022, and detained for 11 hours following a trivial complaint made by her ex-partner. Her accuser was designated by the police as a highly violent, domestic abuse perpetrator.
‘Sophie’ described her arrest as ‘an extension’ of her former partner’s ‘coercion’
Even so, Sophie was arrested at her home in the middle of the night after her abuser alleged she had broken his car wing mirror, 14 months previously, and that she had bruised his arms on an occasion when he had strangled her.
‘They knew what I was trying to protect myself from’
The man making the allegation was someone who had punched, strangled, pressed his thumbs into Sophie’s eyes and locked her up in the house.
Sophie told Sky News: “He’s got a history of domestic violence; he’s got a history of being incarcerated. They knew what I’d gone through, they knew what I was trying to protect myself from.
“I was in contact regularly with domestic violence support workers who were meeting with police liaison officers. They knew that I had the locks changed. They knew I had an alert on the house and my phone.”
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From August 2023: ‘I was gaslit, I was stonewalled,’ says Zayna Iman
Sophie describes the police arrest as “an extension of his coercion”. She later refused to accept a police caution and was charged with the offence of damaging a wing mirror before a judge threw the case out saying it was not in the public interest.
At a press conference in July this year, Dame Vera said: “I tell you ladies and gentlemen, if someone tried to strangle me, I’d probably bruise his arms as well.”
She said the arresting officers had “locked away their brains” and criticised the custody sergeant who had logged his justification for the arrest as “to protect a vulnerable person”, in reference to the violent man.
GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson speaks to Sky’s Jason Farrell
A series of ‘failures’
At that time, GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson said he was “appalled” by Sophie’s treatment.
He told Sky News: “It’s a systemic failure, a leadership failure, a process failure. I do think in individual circumstances it may be a failure of experience.”
And yet, one month after this, the police complaints department wrote to tell Sophie “there were sufficient grounds for your arrest”. The letter told her: “The service provided by the police was acceptable.”
Only after Sophie revealed that her case was part of the Baird Inquiry did the police retract these findings.
Read more on this story:
Woman claims ‘sex offenders are still serving as officers’
What has Greater Manchester Police learned from the Baird Review?
In a statement, GMP told Sky News: “The outcome Sophie was provided was incorrect. Having reviewed the handling of the complaint, our head of professional standards gave Sophie a personal apology and we are ensuring there is a full reinvestigation.
“Complaints relating to the Baird review – including Sophie’s – are subject to a fair and thorough examination, without fear or favour, by our Professional Standards Directorate.
“Where an investigation finds there to be a case to answer, we will ensure officers face disciplinary proceedings.
GMP headquarters located in Central Park in the Newton Heath area of Manchester
‘1,500 more domestic abuse survivors now getting justice’
“We are working hard to ensure that the people of Greater Manchester – particularly women and girls – can have confidence in their police force. This includes providing trauma-informed training for officers and getting better outcomes for victims – with 1,500 more domestic abuse survivors now getting justice compared to three years ago.
“Our communities can have confidence that the force is robust in maintaining good order and discipline. Those not fit to serve are being removed from GMP with more than 100 officers dismissed on the Chief Constable’s watch.”
However, Sky News has been told that most complaints relating to the Baird Inquiry are subject to ongoing investigation and, so far, no officers have been disciplined or dismissed.
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From July: Mark Dove says he was ‘left naked in cell for hours’
In response to the Baird Inquiry, GMP now has a dedicated female welfare officer in its custody suites and is soon to introduce a new independent oversight panel to scrutinise arrests.
According to the mayor’s office, 24 of the 26 recommendations from the inquiry have been implemented.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “This is a landmark moment in our quest to improve the safety and treatment of women across Greater Manchester.
“It is clear that there is still progress to be made. The deputy mayor and I will continue to hold up a mirror to unacceptable practices wherever we find them.”
Deputy mayor Kate Green added: “While the implementation of these recommendations to date is welcome, it is essential that the improvements brought about are maintained and indeed built upon, and on behalf of the mayor I will continue to scrutinise GMP as it makes progress in these areas.”
Read more from Sky News:
Murdered woman found in car boot named
‘Betrayed and angry’ farmers threaten action
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
However, Sophie feels let down and says if she was in an abusive relationship again, she would think twice about going to the police.
“I wouldn’t just be OK with reporting something now, I would look at the consequences of me doing that, and what could happen as a result of me doing that, and how they would treat me,” she said.
“It’s going to take me longer to get over what happened to me that night in being arrested and being locked up than getting over being slapped or punched.”
Former victims’ commissioner Dame Vera Baird and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham will be speaking to Wilfred Frost on Sky News Breakfast from 7.30am this morning.
UK
Harshita Brella: International manhunt under way for husband after woman’s body found in car boot
An international manhunt is under way for the husband of a murdered woman, whose body was found in the boot of a car.
The body of Harshita Brella was found in east London on Thursday, tens of miles away from her home in Corby.
On Sunday, Northamptonshire Police said they were looking for Pankaj Lamba – who they believe has left the country.
Sky News understands she had been under the protection of a court order designed for victims of domestic abuse.
“Our inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire earlier this month by her husband Pankaj Lamba,” said chief inspector Paul Cash.
“We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford by car.”
“Fast track” enquires were made after the force was contacted on Wednesday by someone concerned about Ms Brella’s welfare. After she failed to answer the door at her home in Skegness Walk, Corby, a missing person investigation was launched.
Her body was found inside the boot of a vehicle on Brisbane Road, Ilford, in the early hours of Thursday morning.
A post mortem – conducted at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday – established she had been murdered.
Harshita Brella, 24, from Corby. Her body was found in a car in east London. Pic: Northamptonshire Police
More than 60 detectives are working on the case, with lines of enquiry including going house to house and property searches, as well as looking at CCTV and ANPR.
“We are of course continuing to appeal for any information that will help us piece together exactly what happened as we work to get justice for Harshita,” said chief inspector Cash.
“I urge anyone listening to or reading this statement, that if you saw anything suspicious in the past week or have any information, no matter how small, please contact us. We would always rather receive well-meaning information that turns out to be nothing as opposed to not receiving it all.”
Pankaj Lamba. Pic: Northamptonshire Police
Force referred to police watchdog
On Saturday, Northamptonshire Police said it had made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to previous contact between the force and the victim.
Northamptonshire Police previously said officers had been conducting investigations at three locations: Skegness Walk and Sturton Walk in Corby and Brisbane Road, Ilford, where Ms Brella’s body was found.
East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU) and Northamptonshire Police said they were working “around the clock to establish the circumstances behind her death, including the exact location and timeframe in which it took place”.
State-of-the-art technology has been used to create a voice for King Richard III – giving him a Yorkshire accent.
A digital avatar of the medieval king’s head went on display in front of excited history fans at York Theatre Royal.
Richard III was king of England from 1483 until his death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, at the age of 32.
His remains were found in a car park in Leicester in 2012 by historian Philippa Langley.
Speaking about the recreation, she said: “We’ve got leading experts in their fields who have been working on this for 10 years and so everything has been meticulously researched, meticulously evidenced, so you are seeing the most accurate portrayal of Richard III”.
A team based at Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University created the avatar based on the reconstruction of Richard III’s head with the help of a craniofacial expert.
Experts from various fields helped put the pieces of the puzzle together, including speech and language therapy, dentistry, forensic psychology and archaeology.
His voice has been created by Professor David Crystal, a leading linguist in 15th-century pronunciation. He admitted that it’s impossible to know exactly how he spoke, but this is as close as they will get.
The king was born in Northampton but spent a lot of his life in Yorkshire. His parents were also from the north of England.
Vocal coach Yvonne Morley-Chisholm spent a decade researching how the monarch would have sounded. She worked with the actor Thomas Dennis who was chosen as his body and face were such a good physical match.
Speaking to Sky News, she said people will be shocked at how different he sounded compared with traditional portrayals of the king on stage and screen.
The coach and actor also examined the king’s letters and diary so that “as you pronounced a word that’s how you would write it”.
Read more from Sky News:
Frozen sabre-toothed kitten studied for first time
King to open two food distribution hubs to mark birthday
The voice shows the change in pronunciation over the centuries – from regional variations to the Queen’s English.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
History fans at the unveiling were delighted with the accent, with one telling Sky News: “Northerners are known to be happy, positive, all those lovely qualities.”
Born in Northampton but a northerner through and through, technology has brought the king’s speech back to life
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