Ailbhe Griffith: Meeting the man who assaulted me gave me back my power — don't deny other survivors the same right
Today at 00:30
When I read recent news reports about a Spanish woman's request for a restorative justice meeting with the man who raped her on a Dublin city centre street, I was delighted. Having gone through the same process myself, I knew how life-changing it can be.
Imagine my disappointment, then, when the court was told that, even though the attacker agreed to meet the woman, the court was told by the Probation Service that this could not happen. The reason? He did not accept full responsibility for his crime.
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Irish Independent
8 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Meeting the man who assaulted me gave me back my power — don't deny other survivors the same right
When I read recent news reports about a Spanish woman's request for a restorative justice meeting with the man who raped her on a Dublin city centre street, I was delighted. Having gone through the same process myself, I knew how life-changing it can be.
Irish Independent
12 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Ailbhe Griffith: Meeting the man who assaulted me gave me back my power — don't deny other survivors the same right
I know the power of restorative justice so was devastated to see a Spanish woman's request for it being turned down by the Probation Service Today at 00:30 When I read recent news reports about a Spanish woman's request for a restorative justice meeting with the man who raped her on a Dublin city centre street, I was delighted. Having gone through the same process myself, I knew how life-changing it can be. Imagine my disappointment, then, when the court was told that, even though the attacker agreed to meet the woman, the court was told by the Probation Service that this could not happen. The reason? He did not accept full responsibility for his crime.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
I went to bed and woke up to my downstairs neighbour raping me – he tracked my footsteps to plan his sick attack
Naomi Saatchi was then forced to face her rapist day after day in the building where they both lived CALCULATED EVIL I went to bed and woke up to my downstairs neighbour raping me – he tracked my footsteps to plan his sick attack BLINKING her eyes open in confusion, Naomi Saatchi wasn't sure what was happening - but she knew instantly that something was very wrong. Just minutes before, she had gone to bed alone. Now, she realised with a sickening sense of panic that her downstairs neighbour was in bed with her. 5 Naomi Saatchi was the victim of a horrific rape at the hands of her neighbour Credit: SWNS 5 David Watson-Williams listened to Naomi's footsteps to assess when she had gone to bed before he attacked Credit: SWNS Naomi, now 43, was a 21-year-old healthcare assistant when she was raped by David Watson-Williams at their block of flats in St Paul's, Bristol in June 2003. Having tracked her footsteps from the floor below, the calculating predator waited to launch his sick attack as Naomi slept. The terrifying ordeal cast a shadow over her life for 22 long years, until Naomi - who was bravely waived her right to anonymity - helped bring him to justice in 2021. Now, she is sharing her story in a bid to encourage other victims to come forward. Naomi had been living in a semi-derelict block of flats, where she and Watson-Williams were the only occupants, for a few months. Naomi says: "I didn't have any relationship with him. He wasn't a friend, he was just a neighbour that I was aware fancied me. "I didn't think he was a threat to me at all, it was just a bit irritating and inconvenient because he would try to intercept me on the communal stairs to try to chat to me. "I didn't realise what was going on in his mind. "He was planning an opportunity to rape me within my home." On a cold night in 2003, Naomi met up with a friend for a drink and a catch-up. Spanish tourist raped in Dublin city centre bravely waives anonymity to open up on night of hell She arrived home around 3am, forgetting to lock the door and got into bed fully dressed before falling asleep. Unbeknown to her, Watson-Williams, who was listening from the floor below, waited until he could no longer hear movement before breaking into her home and attacking her. Naomi, who now works as a nurse prescriber, says: "I had a hardwood floor. The man who raped me could hear when I walked into the bathroom and the bedroom. "He would have been able to hear me getting into bed, and the fact that there was no movement for a while must have been when he thought I was asleep - and the opportunity to carry out his plan. "I woke up and then there's always that split second where you are not quite sure what is happening... and then I realised very quickly." During the attack, Naomi says she pretended to be asleep as she feared Watson-Williams might "turn violent". "I felt like if I tried to fight him off that he would try to strangle me, and the situation would become a lot worse. ''I did want to see who it was, so I squinted. I knew exactly who it was, and I think that made me even more scared. "As we all know with men there is always an endpoint, and I pretended to be asleep until that endpoint. He went away as soon as it was over. "I was too scared to get out of bed because I knew he could hear me." 5 Naomi was 21 at the time of the horror attack Credit: SWNS 5 She was forced to face her attacker for two months afterwards as he lived below her Credit: SWNS In the aftermath of the attack, Naomi struggled to come to terms with what had happened. She says: "The next few days were a blur, I went into a state of shock." She confided in her close friends but felt unable to face going to the police. After the rape, Naomi says Watson-Williams acted as though nothing had happened, and he continued to intercept her on the stairs. She says: "I had to wait for a room to become available with someone I felt safe living with. "I stayed elsewhere if I could, or if I had to stay at the flat, I would get a friend or my sister to sleep over. "Finances meant I couldn't just go and get a new flat straight after - had it happened now I would have gone to a women's refuge. "I was so young when it happened, I just didn't know what to do." Two months later, she managed to move out of her flat for good. She says: "As soon as the opportunity arose, I left my apartment for another area of the city. I was terrified to be there." You just feel like you are not worth much after something like that has happened to you Naomi Saatchi But even though she no longer lived above Watson-Williams, the trauma of her ordeal stayed with Naomi for years, and she says she subsequently chose a partner who made her feel "worthless". She explains: "[The rape] didn't stop me from being in relationships with men and being able to have a normal sex life - I felt like I was very lucky in that way. "However, my trust in men was down and my self-confidence was low, so I chose partners that I wouldn't have chosen had the attack not happened. "You just feel like you are not worth much after something like that. "Now I find myself at 43, childless, single, and while I can't guarantee that the attack is the cause, I am very confident that it has played a significant role. "It altered the course of my life." As the years went by, Naomi - who is part Iranian - also struggled with anxiety, only feeling some respite while wearing a hijab. Although she understands that for some women it feels like a conservative rule, for her, it felt "liberating" after the rape. Naomi explains: "It was like an invisibility cloak from the attention of men. I did find at times that when my anxiety was really bad from the rape, I chose to wear it in the Middle East. "I also carried around other items to help with my safety." In 2021, she decided to bring her rapist to justice after realising the impact the horror attack had had on her life - and reported it to the police. On 7 July 2021, 22 years after her assault, Naomi faced Watson-Williams, 43, of Lockleaze, Bristol, at Bristol Crown Court, where he was sentenced to 12 years behind bars with an extended three-year licence. He will also remain on the sex offenders' register for life. The jury took only 45 minutes to unanimously find him guilty of rape. In a statement read out to the court, Naomi said: 'What should have been a bright chapter in my life was shattered by a man who knew, without a doubt, that I had no romantic or sexual interest in him. 'Yet, he hatched, in cruel premeditation, a plan to take what he wanted, with no regard for the destruction he would leave in his wake. 'That man is you, David. You're the man that raped me in my bed. 'The bed in which my childhood memories were scattered lovingly around me. 'The terror you inflicted forced me to leave my home, the place where I should have felt most secure. I had to take refuge from you. 'Now, single, and childless, while I cannot say you are solely responsible for these parts of my life, I know you have been a significant factor. 'Your actions have altered the course of my life in ways I am still trying to understand and untangle.' The only way we are going to see a big change as a society is if many victims come forward and hold these rapists into account Naomi Saatchi PC Quick, formerly of Avon and Somerset's Operation Bluestone Team, which is dedicated to solving rape and serious sexual offence cases, said: "I cannot commend the victim enough for having the bravery to tell us what happened. "This is a very traumatic event which she has lived with for nearly 20 years before deciding to report it to the police. "The sentence reflects the seriousness of what happened to her. "She was attacked in her own home, where she should be safe, and has been extremely courageous to come forward about the attack which left her feeling vulnerable and living in fear for years." Now that her attacker is behind bars, Naomi says she feels that "justice has been made". She says: "I am blown away by how the police have been, the CPS and the lawyer I was allocated to. "It has been quite liberating for me, and it has helped my self-esteem. "I didn't realise how much this was affecting me - carrying it around and knowing that this man was free." Now, Naomi says she wants other victims to know "they have got nothing to be ashamed of". "I feel like I have definitely done the right thing - this will prevent it happening for someone else again," she says. "Even as a developed country it has been 'open season' on rape for too long and the only way we are going to see a big change as a society is if many victims come forward and hold these rapists to account. "The change will start with us." Victims of rape or sexual assault, recent or non-recent, can self-refer to The Bridge, a Sexual Assault Referral Centre, which is available to 24/7 365 days a year, visit their website or call 0117 342 6999.
