After: Surviving sexual assault - Melissa: Part 1 – Then

Catriona talks to fellow survivor Melissa about what happened when she brought a case of rape all the way to court, and received a ‘not-guilty’ verdict.

Melissa isn’t her real name, but in a case like this, we cannot identify the accused for legal reasons. Those who know Melissa might recognise her story. So to keep all parties involved anonymous, she agreed we could use a voice actor to record her half of the conversation. This allowed Melissa to talk in detail about how she feels her case was handled.

In part one, Catriona and Melissa talk in detail about sexual assault and the process that follows if you report it to authorities. If you’re not in the place to listen to this right now, please head back to the feed to listen to part two of Melissa’s story.

If you've been affected by sexual abuse or violence, you can find details of organisations in the UK who offer help and support at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Presented by Catriona Morton, After is a 10-part series, featuring discussions between survivors of sexual abuse and assault about what happened to them and how they cope now.

The voice actor for this episode is Heather Long.

Produced by Danielle Stephens. The Executive Producers are Nick Minter and Clare Chadburn. It is a Wisebuddah production for BBC Sounds.

Published on Thursday, 15th August 2019.

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