How we fail victims
New book tells heartbreaking stories of rape
A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong Crown
Despite its contradictory title, A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong is an important piece of journalism — especially in an era where sexual assault and attacks on women have become increasingly publicized and politicized. It tells the heartbreaking story of Marie, an 18-year-old woman who reported being raped by a man with a knife.
Somewhat shockingly given it was 2008, not 50 or even 20 years earlier, both authorities and even Marie’s most recent foster mother, who held a master’s degree in mental health counselling, doubted Marie’s story. It seemed too reminiscent of the TV show Law & Order. He had tied her up with shoelaces, taken photos and threatened to post them online. And Marie didn’t act as they expected. Her statement sounded flat and emotionless, like saying, “I just made myself a chicken sandwich,” another foster mother said.
Neither was Marie a reliable narrator. She’d grown up in at least 20 foster homes, suffered molestation as a child and had recently been prone to attention-seeking behaviour.
Terrified and perhaps seeking a way out, Marie said she’d invented the story. The relief among law enforcement authorities was immediate and palpable as they not only destroyed evidence and ceased looking for an attacker, but also prosecuted her for lying.
More than two years later, Colorado police arrested a serial rapist and found pictures in his camera. Among them Marie bound with shoelaces in her bedroom.
Marie was 20 when police showed up at her door. “On March 18, they arrived — two years, seven months, and one week after Marie had been raped.” She got a cheque for $500, a refund of her court costs and information about rape counselling.
Exhaustive research brings to life not only the stories of Marie and other victims, but also those of police officers and other authorities devastated by their own mistakes. Even in the relatively enlightened 21st century, A False Report reminds us there is no standard response to trauma.