A Saskatoon woman says she feels victimized by how police handled her alleged sexual assault case.
CTV News has chosen to protect the woman’s identity, a 19-year-old university student. She alleges she was sexually assaulted by a man she invited into her Saskatoon home in late August.
“I just remember saying the word ‘stop’ and waiting for it to be over,” she said. “At first, I just felt panic, fear, lots of fear, just being terrified. I’m saying ‘stop’ and he’s not stopping, and if I try to do anything physical he can overpower me.”
The woman says she went to hospital and was examined. She said she also filed a written report with police and did a video interview with the Saskatoon Police Service’s Sex Crimes Unit.
The questions police asked left her feeling victimized, she said.
“From that point on, the questions she (the investigator) was asking were very victim blaming, very much making me feel like this was my fault that this had happened to me,” the woman said. “It made me feel like I was doing something wrong by reporting my assault and I think that's the reason a lot of women don't come forward with their own assaults… It was very troubling because the police of all people should be on your side."
The woman posted her experience online to her Facebook profile. The post has been shared more than 1,500 times. In the written statement she says, “Somehow, despite being the victim, I got a harder interrogation than I can imagine my rapist will ever get.”
No charges have been laid. The Saskatoon Police Service says the matter has been turned over to a Crown prosecutor who will help in determining whether or not any charges will be laid or if an investigation will follow.
Police say they take allegations of sexual assault very seriously and do not try to minimize the impact of anyone’s traumatic experience.
“We want to proceed with as much respect as possible for the victims,” said SPS spokesperson Alyson Edwards. “At the same time, we need to ask some of the difficult questions that have to be asked when you are initially looking into a complaint.”
All investigators that work within the criminal investigation division receive specialized training in interview techniques, Edwards added.
The woman who alleged she was sexually assaulted says the experience has given her night terrors and forced her to miss time at school. She says she will be filing a formal complaint against police. The complaint will be reviewed by the provincial complaints commission.
