Sex attack woman speaks out

A Thames Valley woman who's been the victim of a serious sexual attack has decided to speak out publicly - to try to prevent other people becoming victims.

It's part of a new Christmas campaign by Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Police, urging men to recognise boundaries of acceptable behaviour.

Speaking to heart, Detective Inspector Chris Inness said: "All too often we arrest men who think, wrongly, that because they have been drinking and have been with a woman who has been drinking, normal rules of behaviour don't apply.

No should always mean no, but this campaign goes further than this. If one person isn’t capable of saying no, it is not acceptable to take advantage of the situation."

DI Inness continued: "We deal with all reports of rape and sexual assault seriously. If you have had sex with someone who was drunk and said "no" or who was unable to say "no" and they later report it to us then you can expect to be arrested on suspicion of rape.

Thames Valley Police is committed to tackling this type of crime, bringing offenders to justice and working to raise public awareness in an attempt to reduce the number of victims.

We have specially-trained officers in place to provide a first response to victims of rape and support them through the criminal justice process."

If you have been a victim of rape or a sexual assault, please call 0845 8 505 505, the 24-hour Thames Valley Police number.

Always call 999 in an emergency. If you don’t want to speak to police, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.