11-05-2025
I was humiliated by traumatic court ordeal, rape survivor Ellie tells new documentary
A rape survivor has spoken of being 'humiliated' at the trial of her attacker during a 'bruising' court ordeal.
Ellie Wilson crowd-funded to prepare for a successful complaint against defence lawyer Lorenzo Alonzi after her rapist, Daniel McFarlane, was jailed for five years, and now campaigns for victims' rights.
She is the subject of a new BBC documentary, which followed Ms Wilson over nine months - after she discovered McFarlane was up for parole and was being considered for early release, which he was not granted.
Ms Wilson said Mr Alonzi's treatment of her had left her feeling 'humiliated' and he was later found to be guilty of 'unsatisfactory professional conduct'.
Convicting My Ex tells the story of Ms Wilson's abusive relationship and 'bruising experience of the criminal justice system' - and explores the toll that going public has taken.
In 2022, McFarlane, Ms Wilson's ex-boyfriend, was convicted of raping her twice during their relationship.
After returning from a running competition, he raped her and revealed that he had done it before, when she was asleep.
Determined to have proof of what he had done, she secretly recorded McFarlane's admission on her phone, which led to his prosecution and conviction.
Ms Wilson, 27, who said she was barred from attending her rapist's parole hearing on the grounds that it would not be in the 'interests of justice', told the BBC: 'I was painted in court as a temptress.'
She said she had nightmares about McFarlane in the run-up his last parole bid, adding: 'I don't know how I'm supposed to be able to live a normal life.'
Ms Wilson said she felt 'degraded' and 'defeated in [her] soul' after McFarlane raped her - but they resumed their relationship after he threatened to 'hurt himself'.
He was the 'perfect boyfriend' at that time but changed and became more controlling, then confessed he had raped her while she was asleep - which she said was a 'whole other betrayal'.
Ms Wilson tried to take her own life and spent a week in hospital - but McFarlane's abuse of her continued.
She said: 'When I decided to waive my anonymity after my court case concluded in 2022, I did so because I was angry - both at the abuse I'd suffered and the ways in which the system let me down - and I wanted to use my voice for change.
'It's incredible to now be able to tell my story fully through this documentary.
'This documentary exposes the complexity of domestic abuse and sexual violence in young relationships and challenges reductive stereotypes about what a 'victim' should look like.'
Following her experience at the trial, Ms Wilson made headlines after waiving her right to anonymity to challenge McFarlane's defence lawyer.
Mr Alonzi questioned whether she had narcissistic personality disorder and told jurors that it was 'difficult not to imagine some sense of injustice' for McFarlane, who the lawyer claimed had fallen in love with the 'wrong person'.
Ms Wilson said it was 'almost like he [Mr Alonzi] was enjoying it' and she felt she had been 'publicly humiliated'.
Last year, the Faculty of Advocates' complaints committee found that Mr Alonzi's behaviour amounted to unsatisfactory professional conduct on six of the 11 issues raised.
Ms Wilson also told documentary-makers that she has been targeted by an anonymous social media account which posted a photograph of her in a bath, an image which she said had been on McFarlane's phone.
McFarlane, a medical student, was 26 when he was sent to prison for two rapes which took place in December 2017 and February 2018.
The attacks happened when he was 19 and a student at Glasgow University.
Ms Wilson has built a significant social media following as a campaigner and is now fighting to improve the experience of the criminal justice system for survivors of rape and sexual abuse.
In February, the Mail revealed victims of crime had been barred from parole hearings in case their appearance harms the prisoner's 'mental health' or causes 'disruption'.
Reasons for refusal also include the risk that the victim's presence while the criminal's bid for freedom is heard could prove 'detrimental to the public interest'.
*Convicting My Ex will be broadcast on BBC Three at 9pm on Tuesday May 13 and will be available on iPlayer on the same day.
