It was just another morning in April 2021 when Jessie was getting ready for work.
Then, out of nowhere, a Facebook notification popped up— a message from a girl named Lauren. Jessie knew of her but had never met her.
Lauren’s words sent a chill down Jessie’s spine. She revealed that she had dated Jessie’s ex-boyfriend and, during their relationship, he had raped her twice.
“It took me a long time to accept what happened to me,” Lauren wrote.
She also mentioned that she hoped Jessie had never experienced anything similar.
But Jessie had. More times than she wanted to count.
For so long, she had pushed those memories deep down, trying to convince herself they weren’t real.
But now, with Lauren’s message, the wall of denial crumbled.
And it wasn’t just them—Lauren mentioned a third girl who had suffered the same fate.
At that moment, Jessie knew she had to act. “It wasn’t just about me anymore,” she said.
“I had to do something for the women before me and the women after me.”
The Journey for Justice Begins
What followed was an emotional, painful journey—one now documented in the two-part BBC series Rape on Trial, presented by Stacey Dooley.
The documentary follows Jessie and two other young women as they navigate the aftermath of reporting rape to the police.
Filmed over three years, it exposes the immense pressure placed on victims, the legal hurdles in securing convictions, and the struggles of police and the Crown Prosecution Service in these cases.
It also highlights the harsh reality that, often, rape isn’t committed by a stranger in a dark alley but by someone the victim knows— a fact backed by statistics showing that 84% of reported assaults involve someone familiar to the survivor.
The Relationship That Hid a Dark Truth
Jessie was just a teenager when she started dating him. At first, he seemed perfect—charming, affectionate, and well-liked by her family.
But what she mistook for charm, she now recognizes as manipulation.
“I thought I was in love,” she admits. “Looking back, I had no idea.”
While their relationship had moments of genuine intimacy, there was another side—one she couldn’t reconcile.
The abuse often happened in the mornings when Jessie was still asleep.
She would wake up to find him on top of her, his hands pressing down on her back.
“The first time it happened, I begged him to stop. I asked why he was doing this. But he didn’t listen,” she says.
“And it just kept happening. It became almost ritualistic. Eventually, I just pretended I was still asleep.”
At the time, Jessie didn’t understand what was happening.
She tried to focus on the good parts of their relationship, ignoring the fear and confusion. A year later, they parted ways when she left for university.
But even in new relationships, anxiety and a lingering sense of being unsafe followed her.
“I thought all young women felt this way,” she says now. “But I realize now—this was trauma.”
Facing the Truth
A year after graduating, Lauren’s message forced Jessie to finally name what had happened to her: rape.
The two women met the same day, and their stories mirrored each other’s in haunting ways.
“She was telling my story,” Jessie recalls. “I had been in denial, but in that moment, I realized—he knew what he was doing. You don’t rape someone by accident.”
Jessie then had to tell her mother, Michelle. Watching her daughter’s transformation from a carefree young woman to a shadow of herself had already been heartbreaking. Hearing what had caused it was worse.
“We welcomed him into our home,” Michelle says.
“We had barbecues. Everyone liked him. I felt so betrayed.”
A Legal Battle That Felt Never-Ending
Jessie reported her ex-boyfriend to the police.
He was arrested and charged with three counts of rape—two involving Jessie and one from a third victim who wished to remain anonymous.
What followed was an excruciating four-year wait. The trial, initially set for 2021, was delayed due to barrister strikes, pushing it to November 2022.
During this time, Jessie lived in constant fear of seeing her attacker—and she did.
“I ran into him all the time—on nights out, at the pub.
Once, I saw him doing construction near my house. I just had to turn and leave.”
When the trial finally began, Jessie was subjected to brutal cross-examination.
“I cried the whole way through,” she says. “The defense barrister told me I was lying, that I didn’t say no, so that meant yes.
They acted like I had nothing better to do than make this up.”
After four agonizing days of jury deliberation, they couldn’t reach a verdict.
“That was worse than a not guilty,” Jessie says. “At least with that, I could have moved on.
But this? I was stuck. I was a victim of the system now, too.”
A retrial was set for June 2024. Then it was delayed again—this time to January 2025.
“This process has taken years of my life. I used to be confident and outgoing.
Now? I feel like a nervous wreck,” she admits.
“Even my mom says I’m not the same Jessie anymore. I just want to feel like myself again.”
A Verdict That Broke Their Hearts
In January 2025, Jessie, Lauren, and the third victim took the stand once again.
This time, the jury reached a verdict: not guilty.
The moment was caught on camera for the documentary.
Jessie was speechless. Lauren sobbed uncontrollably.
“We were dragged through this for years—for what?” Jessie asks.
“Three of us, unrelated, told the same story. And still, it wasn’t enough.”
Their frustration echoes the reality faced by many survivors.
In England and Wales, over 99% of reported rapes don’t end in a conviction. Even Stacey Dooley, the documentary’s presenter, admitted she now doubts she would report a rape herself.
“I wouldn’t feel confident in the system,” she says.
“It’s one of the only crimes where the victim’s credibility is immediately questioned.”
No Regrets, Just Determination
Despite it all, Jessie doesn’t regret coming forward.
“I had to do it. Not just for me, but for other women like me,” she says.
“I don’t know how we fix this broken system. But I know we have to try.”
Stacey Dooley: Rape on Trial is available on BBC iPlayer.