DRCC receives ‘swarm of calls’ following Belfast rape trial verdict

The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said it has received a “swarm of calls” following the verdict in the Belfast rape trial.

Noeline Blackwell, chief executive at the centre said people have been in touch throughout the day looking for support and to make donations.

“We didn’t see a massive increase until today in the number of calls. Since the verdict was announced there has been a swarm of calls. The phones have been extremely busy this afternoon,” she said.

“There have been people upset by the verdict and others who are triggered, it reminds them of things and brings back things, it re-traumatises them in some ways.”

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Ms Blackwell said while there hadn’t been an increase in the number of calls to the centre until the verdict was announced, shortly before 11.30am on Wednesday, service users had been referencing the trial over the last eight weeks.

“Both the therapists working with people face to face here and the people working on the phoneline have said undoubtedly, people are very aware of the trial. It impacted in a way that they could not remember any other court proceeding ever having impacted on people who contacted us.”

The Rape Crisis Network Ireland said it was similarly experiencing a high number of calls following the verdict.

Triggered

Cliona Saidlear, executive director at the network said callers included a “mix of people” as opposed to new clients.

“People are ringing to support and donate, they aren’t just people who have been raped.

“Rape victims who have previously been in touch are triggered by something like this. So they’ll have done counselling, left and haven’t been in touch for a year or even a few years and they’ll ring and say ‘this has all brought it back to me’. They’ll need support just because it triggers it for them.”

Safe Ireland has appealed to anybody distressed by the outcome of the case to call their specialist support helplines which are available on safeireland.ie.

Chief executive ofWomen’s Aid in Northern Ireland Jan Melia said the trial process is not fit for purpose.

“It is a process where a [complainant]is harangued and harassed and blamed,” she said.

“Her behaviour is put on trial. We know from talking to women on our help-lines that they are withdrawing from cases because of this trial.”

Green Party MLA Clare Bailey and Ms Melia have called for a compulsory comprehensive relationship and sexuality education programme in all schools, in order to address the issue of consent.

Rallies in support of the complainant have been arranged tomorrow in Belfast, Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Kilkenny.

Belfast solicitor Fiona Donnelly said social media got out of control during the case.

“It was too explicit, it was almost soft porn. And that would be very difficult for the jury to avoid, particularly when combined with a very long trial like this one, with four defendants and four layers of cross-examination of the complainant.” She said there is an argument for holding cases in relation to sexual offences in camera so that anonymity is preserved on all sides.