Like Denise, I was raped. Like Denise, it was ruled to be a crime. And like Denise, the Crown let me down. For the sake of future victims, something has got to change
RAPE CASE EX-COP GOES PUBLIC OVER STRIKING SIMILARITIES WITH GOODWILLIE SEX ATTACK PROBE
A former police officer who alleged she was brutally raped has gone public to demand answers on why charges were dropped.
In the wake of the David Good willie scandal, ex-constable Lorraine Kennedy has waived her anonymity to tell her story for the first time.
Lorraine, 47, believed there was compelling evidence against the man she accused – her former partner Steven Campbell – including video footage of the alleged attack.
But like Denise Clair – who a civil court judge ruled had been raped in the Good willie case – she was devastated to learn there would be no prosecution.
Despite the charges being dropped, Lorraine was awarded £ 22,000 by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority after officials accepted she suffered serious sexual abuse for more than three years.
The award is another parallel to the Good willie case as Denise was awarded £ 11,000 after the CICA judged she had been the victim of a rape. Both women got the highest award possible. Campbell, who was also a police officer, was dismissed for gross misconduct after the video of the attack on Lorraine was shown at his disciplinary hearing.
He was initially charged with rape and attempted murder and his lawyers instructed Paul McBride QC to defend him.
McBride also represented Goodwillie and prosecutors Frank Mulholland and Derek Ogg were key figures in both cases.
In an extraordinary plea deal, Campbell’s guilty pleas to much lesser charges of assault and possession of ammunition were accepted. He was fined £750.
Lorraine says when she asked for answers, she was not satisfied by the response of Ogg, then head of the National Sex Cr ime s Uni t , and Mulholland, who was solicitor general at the time.
She sa id : “I couldn’t understand why the position had changed from one of there being overwhelming evidence and the case going to trial to the most serious charges being dropped.
“I asked them why and they said they had a duty to constantly review the evidence and that there was insufficient evidence to proceed.
“I’m not privy to what goes on in the Crown Office but it made no sense to me.”
Lorraine is now considering following Denise’s example by br ing ing a pr ivat e prosecution.
Denise, 30, from Livingston, sued former Scotland striker Goodwillie and his one-time Dundee United team- mate David Robertson after they were not charged in court.
The two men, who both quit football last week, were branded rapists by the judge in the civil case and ordered to pay £100,000 damages to Denise.
Politicians and lawyers have called for an inquiry to establish why the two men never faced a criminal trial.
Lorraine said: “The courage and tenacity Denise has shown in her fight for justice has been inspirational.
“There are shocking similar it ies in what happened to us. Denise was told that her case was going ahead and then out of the blue was told that it wasn’t going ahead.
“I was told there was overwhelming evidence and that my case was going to trial and then the most serious charges were dropped.
“I don’t bel ieve that Denise and myself are the only ones who have been in this situation. I also believe that, due to the lack of accountability and transparency f rom the Crown Office, there should be a public inquiry. Hopefully. other women in s imi lar situat ions can, f irst ly, get answers and, secondly, get justice. “After taking the huge step of reporting your abuse and reliving the trauma in order to go through the court process, and then being told the charges have been dropped, you deserve answers from the Crown Office. Until you get answers, you can’t have closure because you are left wondering.
“But if you have answers, you can have some form of closure and are able to move on. For the sake of future victims of crime, we need changes in the criminal justice process.
“If more people come forward, and we get a groundswell of support, hopefully we can get the process changed.”
Lorraine was in a relationship
It felt like a waste of time putting myself through the trauma of it
with former police firearms instructor Campbell for 13 years before they split in 2008.
She told police he had raped and abused her repeatedly at their home near Shotts, Lanarkshire.
Video footage seized from a computer from the home he shared with his new partner – also a police officer and now his wife–formed the basis of the rape charge against him.
Lorraine said: “I haven’t seen the video but I have been told that I said ‘ No’ over 20 times in it.”
The video was later shown at the disciplinary hearing which led to Campbell being dismissed from the police.
In January 2010, Campbell appeared at the High Court in Glasgow charged with rape and attempted murder.
But two months later, Judge Lord Wool man formally acquitted him of rape after prosecutors accepted a not guilty plea and he admitted the assault and the ammunition charge.
Prosecuting, Ogg told the court :“There was a row which resulted in the complainer calling the police.
“She made certain allegations which were taken extremely seriously.
“She made – amongst others – an allegation that the accused kept ammunition at the house albeit two bullets.”
McBride – who died in 2012 on a trip to Pakistan – told the court Campbell had 22 years of “unblemished” service with the pol ice and asked for a non-custodial sentence.
The follow ing month, he was let off with a fine.
McBride was hi red as Goodwillie’s QC when Denise originally went to the police af ter she was attacked in January 2011. Mulholland and Ogg were in charge of the prosecution.
Lorraine said of the court case: “I was devastated. I felt robbed that I couldn’t give my account of what had happened to me.
“I didn’t get the chance to have my voice heard and to be believed. I felt crushed.”
In July 2010, Lorraine met with Mulholland, Ogg and Crown Of f ice director of operations Scott Pattison.
She said: “It didn’t matter how many questions we asked. They just gave the same answers. It seemed as if their answers had been predetermined.
“It felt as if it had been a waste of time putting myself and my family through the trauma of the court process.”
In a letter to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, Pattison said: “The adjusted plea did not reflect any adverse view on the quality of veracity of the complainer’s account.”
Lorraine said: “I considered pursuing a private prosecution but was advised that I wouldn’t get legal aid.
“Denise being successful in securing legal aid and bringing a private prosecution against the men who raped her was inspirational . I am now considering my options.”
Lorraine has also launched a domestic abuse awareness campaign called Veritas and has written about her experiences on a blog. She said: “Domestic abuse happens in small increments.
“He was insanely jealous and didn’t want me to speak to other men. He justified that by saying that he was so in love with me and reacted the way he did because he was insecure.
“Then the anger started. He promised to go to anger management classes but never did.
“He kept bullets and a large hunting knife in his bedside cabinet. I was horrified and told him to take the bullets back. He laughed at me and told me they were to ‘ keep me in line’.
“I told him I was going to the pol ice and would tel l his parents. He laughed and said, ‘On you go. I’ve told everyone you’re mad. No one will believe you.’ I felt trapped and helpless.
“Domestic abuse has been a taboo subject but I believe the more people speak about it, the more unacceptable it wi l l become.
“I would like to thank Rape Crisis Scotland as they have been an instrumental support to me in my recovery.”
A Crown Office spokesman said: “Crown counsel decided Campbell should be indicted on a number of charges, including rape. As part of our continuing duty to keep a case under review, Crown counsel decided there was insufficient evidence in law to prove rape.”