Latest news with #victimization
BBC News
6 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Greater Manchester Police sorry for arresting woman who said she was raped
Greater Manchester Police has apologised after the "unnecessary" arrest of a woman after she reported that she had been whose name has been changed, was arrested because of posts she had written on social she said the man she accused of rape was able to arrange a voluntary interview, avoiding arrest.A spokesperson for the force, which dropped its investigation into her tweet after two days, said GMP was sorry for the impact that this interaction" had on Natalia. The spokesperson added: "We have improved officer training on our revised voluntary attendance policy and are ensuring all officers are trained to recognise and respond to the trauma felt by survivors of domestic and sexual abuse."Natalia reported being raped in 2019, but she said the GMP investigation was "incompetent".A review later found a series of errors which resulted in some CCTV evidence being destroyed and DNA evidence taking too long to charges were brought. Natalia said she was then "revictimised" in 2023 when police officers arrested her at her home, telling her she was suspected of sending malicious communications on Twitter, now known as video of the arrest shows the officers told her "there's been an accusation made of stuff that's been posted on Twitter that's malicious", but further details were not response Natalia told them "this is your technique - this is what you do when people raise their voices", adding: "I remember it took you two months to interview my rapist." Lawyer Aiden Walley, from DPP Law, who later represented Natalia in legal action against GMP, said the arrest was unnecessary because the offence she was suspected of was "a fairly minor offence that happened over the internet"."They could have called her up and invited her in for a voluntary interview, but they didn't do that."Instead they turned up at her house."When Natalia told the officers that she had a medical appointment later that day, they decided she could instead be offered a voluntary interview in a few Natalia asked about the interview she was told the investigation had been dropped and there would be no further Walley said the decision to drop the investigation demonstrated that "the original suspicion that she may be guilty of an offence just wasn't objectively reasonable".He said a voluntary interview should have been offered to Natalia instead of arresting her because "it skips the need for taking a person into custody"."Being in a cell on their own for likely hours is a poor environment for mental health and it'll certainly make things a great deal worse," he said. Mr Walley said Natalia's legal team had not been given a definitive list of tweets which were deemed to cause offence, except one which involved a meme animation featuring Homer later took legal action against said: "I was determined not to let them revictimise me as I'd been dealing with a lot – I'd been dealing with the rape, and I'd been dealing with the aftermath of them not doing their job."In its defence filed against the legal action, seen by the BBC, GMP's legal team said the officers "genuinely and reasonably believed" an arrest was necessary because "the six-month time limit for a summary-only offence was approaching".They also said "seizure of electronic devices was likely to be necessary", but Natalia's legal team said that would not be lawful given the level of the reached an out-of-court settlement with the force, but said no apology was force apologised after being contacted by the BBC. Chief Constable Stephen Watson announced in 2021 that his force would double the number arrests made each month, after a report which found that, under his predecessor, GMP had closed cases without proper investigations, and failed to record thousands of crimes.A report last year which had been commissioned by mayor Andy Burnham found officers were making arrests "unwisely, unnecessarily, and sometimes unlawfully".Report author Dame Vera Baird wrote that the force had put "a premium" on arrests which were "a harmful use of power and a damaging weapon against members of the public".In response to Natalia's case, a GMP spokesperson said the force was "protecting more victims and bringing more offenders to justice for offences like rape, domestic abuse, and harassment"."Arresting more suspects has been a necessary and important part of this, but arrests are not – and never have been – considered an end in themselves," they said. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Japan Times
21-05-2025
- Japan Times
Female prosecutor says she experienced secondary victimization in rape case
A female prosecutor in Osaka who was allegedly raped by her boss said she experienced secondary victimization when the prosecutors office where she worked turned a blind eye after she reported the case in 2024 and then when slanderous comments about her spread at work. The criminal trial of Kentaro Kitagawa, a former chief at the Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office, is ongoing at the Osaka District Court. He initially pleaded guilty but changed his plea to not guilty of sexually assaulting the woman. At a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday, the female prosecutor, who is in her 50s and requested anonymity for privacy reasons, said her suffering was exacerbated when those close to Kitagawa and the organization refused to take appropriate actions following her report of the assault. 'I was stripped of my right to work, isolated within the organization, and left feeling a profound sense of despair — to the point that I wanted to die. I simply wanted to work in a safe environment,' she said. 'I pleaded to them, 'Don't make my family and myself suffer any more.' I asked them whether my death was the only way to be understood — but I received no response,' she said. The incident occurred in 2018 when she was intoxicated at a party celebrating Kitagawa's appointment as chief Osaka district prosecutor. She was taken to Kitagawa's apartment after the party, where he allegedly raped her for hours. She said she had never met him outside of work before this. When she tried to report the case to the Osaka High Public Prosecutors Office in 2019, Kitagawa allegedly threatened her in a handwritten letter, saying that if the issue became public, he would have no choice but to take his own life and that the prosecution office would face fierce criticism. He apologized to her in the letter and paid her ¥10 million as compensation. After agonizing for years, she decided to file a formal report in February 2024 and returned the ¥10 million to Kitagawa, she said at the news conference. But what made things worse, the female prosecutor said, was when one of her colleagues — a female assistant prosecutor — told everyone at work about her being sexually assaulted by Kitagawa, then spread defamatory remarks about her around the office. She also said the assistant prosecutor lied to investigators that Kitagawa was the one who had been drunk rather than her. The assistant prosecutor, who used to work as a secretary to Kitagawa when he was a chief prosecutor, also allegedly obstructed the investigation by deleting chat logs between Kitagawa and his attorney even though she was instructed by prosecutors at the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office not to do so. The female prosecutor said the prosecutors office also did not restrict contact between Kitagawa and the assistant prosecutor, nor was their communication monitored, despite the risks of evidence tampering. And despite her request for the office to reprimand the assistant prosecutor, no action was taken at the time. On March 19, the prosecution gave the assistant a formal reprimand, which is 'the lightest form of disciplinary action,' according to the female prosecutor. After the incident, she was assigned to work in the same division and on the same floor as the assistant prosecutor. 'The prosecution's mission is to pursue the truth through thorough investigation and trial,' she said. 'The prosecution should have uncovered the truth impartially, even if the perpetrator was one of their own or someone with influence.'
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Telegraph
Black security manager called ‘slave' by white colleague wins £361k
A black security manager who was called a 'slave' by a white colleague has won £361,000 in compensation, an employment tribunal heard. Richard Assan resigned from Vigilant Security, which is run by ex-military personnel, in April 2022 after working there for 15 years, claiming that he was victimised by his colleagues. The firm had a 'striking imbalance' between racial profiles as a large number of guards and team leaders are from ethnic minority groups while the managers are mainly white, the tribunal in London heard. The tribunal accepted that 'race-based incidents' had occurred and found Mr Assan's claims of victimisation and constructive dismissal proven. One of Mr Assan's many claims was that, in June 2011, Bill Cowle, a white chief engineer, referred to him as being his 'slave' in a comment that was 'apparently intended to be humorous', the tribunal heard. 'Gross racial imbalance' Judge Anthony Snelson found this 'clearly' caused Mr Assan detriment and involved 'evidently race-based conduct'. Guy Rampe, a manager, asked Mr Assan in July 2012 a 'thoughtless' question about where he had learnt his English, which the claimant saw as 'offensive'. It was also said that Mr Assan applied for a promotion in April 2016 but his application was 'not acknowledged'. The judge said: 'The gross racial imbalance within the managerial cohort lends support to the claimant's perception of a culture in which it is an accepted norm that visible ethnic minority staff populate the lower orders of the organisation and management is confined to white men. 'For want of any evidence to disprove discrimination, we find that the claimant's race was, at the very least, a material factor in the failure to engage with and process his promotion application.' Mr Assan resigned on April 6 2022, making a case that he was the victim of 'continuous bullying and racism dating back to 2011', the tribunal heard. 'Discriminatory treatment' Judge Snelson said: 'We have no doubt that he regarded his race as a central reason for his constructive dismissal. Our objective assessment, however, is otherwise. 'There were certainly race-based incidents at several points in the long story ... we are satisfied to a high standard that the treatment which caused the claimant to resign amounted to a series of acts of victimisation. 'We find that the discriminatory treatment which we have identified had occurred sporadically between about 2011 and 2016 and was part of the background but did not form a material part of his decision to resign in April 2022.' The tribunal also found that Mr Assan had an 'acute sensitivity to criticism' and a mindset which 'treats any critical comment as unfair'.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man pleads guilty to sex trafficking vulnerable woman, controlling her with drugs
A depraved man pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a vulnerable woman for nearly a year, using her addiction to keep her under his control, the Manhattan District Attorney's office announced. Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, 2025, Winston Williams forced the victim into prostitution by leading her to believe she was continually in his 'debt' for supplying her with drugs — and telling her he would subtract the cost from money she made turning tricks, according to court documents. 'Winston Williams kept a woman trapped in a cycle of drugs and debts while lining his pockets,' Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said in a statement. 'Traffickers target vulnerable New Yorkers all too often, as this defendant did by specifically seeking out someone with substance use disorders,' he added. In addition to forcing the victim into sex work to pay down phony 'debts,' Williams, 42, used other methods to control his victim, including physically abusing her, controlling her access to money and food, and taking away her phone and government identification, the DA's office said. Winston trafficked the victim across the city, forcing her to have sex for money in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. He pleaded guilty on Tuesday in New York State Supreme Court to sex trafficking and stalking. He's expected to be sentenced June 10 to between 5-15 years in state prison.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man pleads guilty to sex trafficking vulnerable woman, controlling her with drugs
A depraved man pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a vulnerable woman for nearly a year, using her addiction to keep her under his control, the Manhattan District Attorney's office announced. Between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, 2025, Winston Williams forced the victim into prostitution by leading her to believe she was continually in his 'debt' for supplying her with drugs — and telling her he would subtract the cost from money she made turning tricks, according to court documents. 'Winston Williams kept a woman trapped in a cycle of drugs and debts while lining his pockets,' Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said in a statement. 'Traffickers target vulnerable New Yorkers all too often, as this defendant did by specifically seeking out someone with substance use disorders,' he added. In addition to forcing the victim into sex work to pay down phony 'debts,' Williams, 42, used other methods to control his victim, including physically abusing her, controlling her access to money and food, and taking away her phone and government identification, the DA's office said. Winston trafficked the victim across the city, forcing her to have sex for money in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. He pleaded guilty on Tuesday in New York State Supreme Court to sex trafficking and stalking. He's expected to be sentenced June 10 to between 5-15 years in state prison.
