In a new interview with the Radio Times, documentary maker Stacey Dooley made an astonishingly honest admission. ‘If somebody raped me, I don’t think I would go to the police,’ she said. ‘Which is so bleak and such a disappointing realisation… But in terms of what I’ve witnessed, I wouldn’t feel confident.’
Dooley’s latest documentary, Rape on Trial, follows three women through the court process for reporting rape. Less than 3% of rapes reported to police result in a charge, according to Rape Crisis. For adult rape cases, it takes an average of two years to complete in court. Most survivors don’t report, with five in six women and four in five men not going to the police. Why? A study by Rape Crisis says 38% didn’t think the police would help and 40% were embarrassed.
Dooley’s admission reflects the experience of most who don’t report rape, and yet she’s received backlash for even saying it out loud. ‘I’m not sure what the aim is, to discourage other women from feeling confident in reporting rape?’ one survivor shared on Instagram, noting that when she reported rape the police were ‘phenomenal’.
Certainly, one could read a statement like Dooley’s and feel uncomfortable. Knowing how few women do report, it’s understandable that some would fear her comment could perpetuate anxieties about reporting. It’s a triggering and emotional topic for so many, but let’s be clear – discouraging women from reporting is clearly not Dooley’s aim here.
Rape on Trial shows the bleak reality of reporting rape for women, which studies show can leave victims feeling hopeless and suicidal. In 2024, court delays caused a 40% increase in victims withdrawing from cases before prosecution compared to the same period the year prior. Subject to damaging myths around sexual violence, charities warn that many are left with additional trauma after reporting.
By exploring this in her documentary and coming to the conclusion that she personally wouldn’t report, Dooley is simply reflecting what countless survivors are too scared to say out loud.
‘I didn’t report when I was raped because I knew the chance of conviction was so low,’ Emma*, a rape survivor, told Grazia. ‘I didn’t want to experience all that trauma and then it end with him feeling vindicated that he’d got away with it. I remember having a conversation with a colleague years later where I mentioned that I wouldn’t report rape for those reasons, and she was appalled. It made me feel so guilty when I already felt so bad about the whole thing.’
For Emma, Dooley’s admission is validating then. ‘I think if more people spoke honestly about victims not reporting we could have some real conversations about the solution,’ she says. ‘I’ve never heard a public figure admit that, but I do know lots of women who have been assaulted or harassed and never reported. I think they’d all feel quite validated by her honesty.’
Survivors shouldn't have to weigh up whether to bury what happened or go through a traumatic reporting process.
Jessica*, another survivor, agrees. ‘I didn’t report because my friend did and her experience was awful,’ she says. ‘The police were fine, but the court process lasted a year and the therapist she was offered wasn’t legally allowed to talk about the incident with her, then the charges were dropped anyway. I didn’t want to go through that myself, but to be honest it still haunts me. I know that it was the right decision not to put myself through all of that, but I really regret not reporting it as well. I just wish the process wasn’t so awful, so I didn’t have to bear the weight of that toss up.’
Jessica’s right that victims are left with an impossible decision after being victim to such a horrendous crime. To report means committing to years of your life wrapped up in an incident you’d rather forget, taking time off work, spending money to get to and from court appointments, putting mental energy into something that has grave mental health risks. All of that, to then only have a 3% chance at charges being filed, and after that a 54% chance of conviction. None of this is said with the intention to discourage reporting, as all of the survivors we spoke to acknowledged they regret not doing so, but it is to highlight that something must change.
Just as Dooley is saying with her own admission, it’s clear that the path to reporting rape is not fit for purpose. After experiencing such a life-altering ordeal, victims shouldn’t have to decide between burying that deep down or committing to a long, traumatic reporting and court process.
It’s time for change; Dooley is just brave enough to say the uncomfortable part out loud.