Ulrika Jonsson has admitted that she didn’t report being raped 35 years ago and still wouldn’t in the present day as she feels ‘vulnerable as a woman’ in the wake of a damning new Met Police report.
Women have told this month that they had lost faith in the Met after a blistering report by Baroness Casey revealed just how badly it is failing rape victims – with one female officer saying she would not report her own rape to the police.
And in her latest column for The Sun, the TV personality, 55, told how she too would not feel comfortable with coming forward about her assault, stating that she’d feel ‘deeply uneasy about any kind of interaction with the police.’
The mother-of-four – who has in the past spoken of her attack – told how at the time of her rape at age 20, she didn’t report it as date rape was not considered a crime, while she also said that she didn’t feel she’d be ‘believed’ as she knew who her attacker was.
Speaking in the wake of the new report which found the Met to be ‘institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic’, Ulrika told how she’d feel just as nervous to report it now than she was three decades ago.
Candid: Ulrika Jonsson has admitted that she didn’t report being raped 35 years ago and still wouldn’t in the present day as she feels ‘vulnerable as a woman’ in the wake of a damning new Met Police report
Wow: Women have told this month that they had lost faith in the Met after a blistering report by Baroness Casey revealed just how badly it is failing rape victims – with one female officer saying she would not report her own rape to the police
She said: ‘As a woman, I feel very vulnerable. Right now, I would feel deeply uneasy about any kind of interaction with the police.
‘At the age of 20, when I was raped in a hotel room, there was no recognition of ‘date rape’ – there was no such crime. And it was the main reason why I never went to the police, because society had taught me that I – as a woman – was culpable for finding myself alone in a room with a man.’
She went on to say that she’d ‘lived with that guilt’ for decades, stating that at the time, her perception of rape was a woman being attacked on a street by a stranger late at night – not by someone you know.
Ulrika said that because of this, she didn’t think her assault ‘would be believed’ and that despite ending up in hospital after the rape, she ‘never said a word’.
The Swedish-born star’s words were in reaction to Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid saying she felt ‘frightened’ for women after the blistering review, which reported another officer’s claim that the force’s detection rate for rape is so low ‘you may as well say it’s legal in London’.
Baroness Casey’s year-long probe, which was ordered in the wake of Sarah Everard’s murder, branded Scotland Yard institutionally sexist.
While One female officer, who claims she was raped by a male colleague while they were dating, told Dame Louise: ‘If I went through the same things I went through back then I would 100% not report it and I would advise my friends and family not to either. It’s not worth it. I wouldn’t report it to the police. I tried to kill myself that year because of the police investigation, it was draining the life out of me’.
In her column, Ulrika went on to slam the findings, while also hitting out at a recent blunder at a Maidstone police station in which an A4 print out in the window advised victims of ‘non-emergency crimes’ to report it to the police via an online form – with ‘rape and sexual assault’ listed alongside traffic incidents, fraud and general enquiries.
Honest: The TV personality, 55, told how she too would not feel comfortable with coming forward about her assault, stating that she’d feel ‘deeply uneasy about any kind of interaction with the police’
Sad: The mother-of-four told how at the time of her rape at age 20, she didn’t report it as date rape was not considered a crime, while she also said that she didn’t feel she’d be ‘believed’ as she knew who her attacker was (pictured aged 21 in 1989)
Vulnerable: Speaking in the wake of the new report which found the Met to be ‘institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic’, Ulrika told how she’d feel just as nervous to report it now than she was three decades ago
She went on to say that the incident was ‘further proof’ the ongoing culture of the police force was not only that of ‘sexism, misogyny, apathy’, but an ‘indifference’ to the safety of women.
The former Gladiator host then called for urgent ‘action’ to be taken, remarking that women were ‘done with intent and inquiries’.
Concluding her candid post, Ulrika once again emphasised that with the state of the current police force, she still wouldn’t feel comfortable enough to report a rape.
She said: ‘I’ve thought many, many times over the years about what I would do if -God forbid – I was raped again. I’ve written in this column that I would like to think I would report it, regardless of the circumstances. But as I write for you today, I can’t say that I would.’
It comes after Tuesday’s Good Morning Britain saw Susanna Reid challenge Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley on what had gone wrong at the force – especially when it comes to crimes against women.
Findings: Baroness Casey found the force is institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic, adding that if she herself was the victim of rape she wouldn’t have faith in the Met to investigate her case
Shock: Susanna Reid said she felt ‘frightened’ for women after the blistering review, which reported another officer’s claim that the force’s detection rate for rape is so low ‘you may as well say it’s legal in London’.
Reaction: Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police, said he felt ‘upset, embarrassed and humbled’ after reading the report
Susanna cited the Casey report, released that day, where one officer had said: ‘If you look at our performance on rape and serious sexual offences the detection rate is so low you may as well say ”it’s legal in London”.’ A community officer added: ‘The best outcome is closing a report to reduce your workload.’
Ms Reid said: ‘Honestly as I read that I actually feel frightened. Because that sort of message going out is not a helpful one to women in London. There is another issue that the victims of rape and domestic violence are made to feel like an inconvenience and partly because officers are over worked and don’t have experience’.
Sir Mark Rowley said he agreed with Ms Reid’s comments, adding: ‘Certainly we want victims to come forward.’
In her review, Baroness Casey said she does not have full confidence that the Metropolitan Police would treat a report of rape or sexual assault properly.
Can’t do it: Concluding her candid post, Ulrika once again emphasised that with the state of the current police force, she still wouldn’t feel comfortable enough to report a rape
Uneasy: ‘I would like to think I would report it, regardless of the circumstances. But as I write for you today, I can’t say that I would’
She said Ms Everard’s murder should have been like a ‘plane falling out of the sky’ for the Met. But instead it ‘preferred to pretend that their own perpetrators of unconscionable crimes were just ‘bad apples’, or not police officers at all’.
Asked if she would report such an offence to the Met, Baroness Casey told Times Radio: ‘So, as a woman, I think it’s absolutely important that when we are assaulted, we always, always make sure it’s recorded.’
Questioned if she has confidence the force would treat it properly, she said: ‘No, I don’t have full confidence that they would treat it properly.
‘And I know that’s a terrible thing to say, but that’s the biggest thing that they have to change. It still means we should come forward.’
If you have been affected by this story, contact Rape Crisis on 0808 802 9999 or contact the service using their online chat function.
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