Powerful second as Labour MP describes ‘agony’ of look ahead to justice after rape
It comes as the Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy urged MPs to back his plans to reduce access to jury trials, warning there is an urgent need to address rising court backlogs
Charlotte Nichols spoke bravely about her own experience
A Labour MP has revealed she waited 1,088 days to go to court after being raped.
In a powerful speech as MPs debated reforms to the courts system, Charlotte Nichols spoke about her own experiences of being raped at an event she attended as an MP.
It comes as the Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy’s plans to reduce access to jury trials took a step forward in the Commons, passing a second reading with 304 MPs voting in favour, and 203 against.
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Ms Nichols, MP for Warrington North, told the Commons on Tuesday: “I waited 1,088 days to go to court. Every single one of those days was agony, made worse by having a role in public life that meant that the mental health consequences of my trauma were played out in public, with the event that led to my eventual sectioning for my own safety still being something that I receive regular social media abuse from strangers about to this day.
“But here’s the kicker, in this debate, experiences like mine feel like they’ve been weaponised and are being used for rhetorical misdirection, for what this Bill actually is. The violence against women and girls sector haven’t had the opportunity to come together to discuss it, and the Government’s framing and narrative has been to pit survivors and defendants against each other in a way I think is deeply damaging.
“We have been told that if we have concerns about this Bill, it is because we have not been raped or because we don’t care enough for rape victims. The opposite is true in my case, it is because I have been raped that I am as passionate as I am about what it means for a justice system to be truly victim focused. It is because I have endured every indignity that our broken criminal justice system could mete out that I care what kind of reform will actually deliver justice for survivors and victims of crime more widely.”
Labour MP Natalie Fleet had earlier spoken in support of the Government, arguing it is “stepping up for victims”. The Bolsover MP has previously spoken about her own experience of being groomed and raped.
