“I’d like to give the money to something Donald Trump hates,” Carroll, 80, told ABC News.  “If it will cause him pain for me to give money to certain things, that’s my intent.”

Dozens of women have accused the former US president of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment dating back to the 1970s. He has denied these accusations.

In May last year, Carroll won $5 million in damages from a civil case against Trump. 

The former Elle advice columnist alleged that Trump raped her in a dressing room at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in 1995 or 1996 and then defamed her on his truth social platform in October 2022 by denying it happened and calling her a liar. 

Another $83 million in damages were awarded to Carroll on Friday after a jury took less than three hours to return a verdict that Trump should pay her the amount in damages to compensate for two defamatory statements he made against her in 2019. 

Speaking to the Times, Carroll said the win for her was a win for women everywhere, but especially in a post-Roe America. 

“This win, more than any other thing, when we needed it the most– after we lost the rights over our own bodies in many states– we put out our flag in the ground on this one. Women won this one. I think it bodes well for the future.”

Carroll has emphasised she wants to “do something good” with the money, noting it’s an “inspiring” amount of money.

During the two-week trial, Trump attended in-person, after his absence at last year’s trial. 

Describing what it was like to face him in court, Carroll has told reporters that she had fears leading up to it until looking at him sitting feet away and realising he was “nothing”.

“When you’ve actually faced the man, he’s just a man with no clothes on,” she told the Times, referencing the story of ‘the emperor with no clothes’. 

“It’s the people around him that are giving him the power,” she said.

At the end of proceedings, during closing statements from Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan, Trump muttered defamatory statements in earshot of the jury and walked out of the courtroom.

Kaplan said his behaviour only validated that Trump is “a bully who can’t follow the rules”.

Following the verdict and $83 million reward, Carroll said she saw the jurors and “it made me burst into tears because they met my eyes for the first time”. 

While it could be a while before Carroll sees the money, Kaplan says she’s confident they’ll be able to collect it.

“One way or the other, he owns a lot of real estate. It can be sold. We will collect the judgement,” Kaplan said.

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“All too often, seeking justice adds to the trauma experienced by victims and survivors,” said Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus as he announced the inquiry.

“This inquiry will look at how we can improve victims’ and survivors’ experiences in the justice system by examining relevant laws and legal frameworks, justice sector practices, supports for victims and survivors, and transformative approaches to justice.”

The inquiry falls under the government’s First Action Plan of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032, which was part of the government’s $14.7 million package in the last budget.

Dreyfus has appointed the Hon Marcia Neave AO and her Honour Judge Liesl Kudelka of the District Court of South Australia as part-time Commissioners to lead this inquiry.

The inquiry is a key step towards improving justice responses to sexual violence and follows years of sex and consent advocacy in Australia, driven by young women, including Saxon Mullins, Nina Funnell, Brittany Higgins, Grace Tame and Chanel Contos. 

These activists were part of a national roundtable last year set up to inform the terms of reference for this long-promised inquiry.

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The Government has also established a sexual violence lived-experience Expert Advisory Group (EAG) “to ensure the real life experience of victims and survivors are front and centre in the ALRC inquiry”. 

The Minister for Women, Senator Katy Gallagher, said “we consistently hear from women about the issues that affect them – and sadly, sexual violence is raised all too often as something that impacts women’s lives.”

“Seeking justice shouldn’t add to the trauma for victims and this inquiry will look at ways to not only strengthen sexual assault laws but to improve the outcomes and experiences for victims and survivors.”

In Australia, 1 in 5 women has experienced sexual violence since the age of 15.

The home is a dangerous place for this form of violence. For women, 53 per cent of perpetrators are intimate partners, while 69 per cent of assaults occur in a home, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. 

And the rates of violence are disproportionately higher for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, with 3 in 5 experiencing physical or sexual violence perpetrated by an intimate partner. 

Women with disability in Australia also are twice as likely to have experienced sexual violence over their lifetime than women without disabilities. 

Greens leader and Senator Larissa Waters said that to change these “unacceptable rates” and “end Australia’s culture of sexual violence”, victims need to feel supported to come forwards to report. This requires the dismantling of “the power imbalances and gender stereotypes that deter them from doing so”. 

“Many victim-survivors of sexual, family and domestic violence describe the court process as horrific and retraumatising.

“It will be important to survivors that any ALRC recommendations are taken seriously and implemented promptly, they have waited long enough for a justice system that actually delivers justice for sexual violence survivors,” said Waters. 

Last week, the Australian government released a national framework on consent messaging and the promotion of healthy sexual relationships. Under the new framework, the term “consent” is defined more clearly in an effort to create more consistency.

If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, domestic, family or sexual violence call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, chat online via 1800RESPECT.org.au or text 0458 737 732. 

If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit www.ntv.org.au.

Feeling worried or no good? No shame, no judgement, safe place to yarn. Speak to a 13YARN Crisis Supporter, call 13 92 76. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

In an emergency, call 000.

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According to a report from the University of Newcastle, women in the Northern Rivers were subjected to high levels of violence and sexual assaults, resulting in unplanned pregnancies.

The researchers – Associate Professor Wendy Foote, Professor Margaret Alston, Dr David Betts and Dr Tracy McEwan – said the emergency centres established in response to the floods did not adequately consider the safety of women and children.

They suggested separation of men and women and children in emergency centres, as well as more triaging, would have avoided the increased rates of gender-based violence and sexual assaults.

MSI Australia, a leading reproductive healthcare clinic in Australia, provides contraception and abortion care to people and communities who have been affected by climate-related disasters.

Head of Policy and Research at MSI Australia Bonney Corbin told Women’s Agenda unplanned and unwanted pregnancies can often go unnoticed during times of crisis, including during climate-related disasters.

“There’s an assumption that we don’t have sex when we’re displaced, but the evidence shows that both rape and sexual activity increases in times of emergency,” Corbin said.

“When we are displaced, we lose routine, and we’re more likely to forget where we are at in our menstrual cycle. Pregnancy can go unnoticed.

“Dissociation following sexual violence and rape can mean that victim-survivors delay making choices about their pregnancy.”

Following the February 2022 floods in northern NSW, MSI Australia clinics were providing care to some women who did not realise they were pregnant until they were beyond nine weeks in pregnancy gestation. This meant they could no longer access medical abortion care and were only able to access surgical abortion.

The financial impacts of a climate-related disasters can also impede a person’s ability to access abortion care, as well as a range of other compounding factors that arise during times of crises.

“Some people realise they are pregnant and want to have an abortion, but are in financial distress with other priorities of food and accommodation, so can’t afford to pay out of pocket abortion costs,” Corbin said.

“Following the floods we provided care to women who had delayed accessing an abortion by a number of weeks.”

It is never a victim’s job to prepare for or prevent rape from happening, Corbin said, but the solution to unplanned and unwanted pregnancies is access to the “full spectrum” of healthcare: products, information and services.

“People need access to long-acting reversible contraception all year round, so that they already have access to contraception when disaster hits,” Corbin said.

“Access to health services is important but it isn’t enough. We need access to the spectrum of health products, and information that people need for reproductive autonomy.

“In the aftermath of a disaster, people need immediate access to health products including condoms, menstrual management, dental dams, pregnancy tests.”

A study from the United Nations Population Fund in 2022 found nearly half of all pregnancies around the world are unplanned or unwanted. This equates to around 121 million pregnancies every year, due to gender inequality, lack of sex education, poverty, limited healthcare services and more.

Rates of unplanned pregnancies spike in times of crisis – not just environmental crises, but also times of war, conflict, food insecurity and more. It is expected that in Afghanistan alone, by 2025, there will be an estimated 4.8 million unintended pregnancies.

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The 33-year-old Spanish player filed a criminal complaint against Rubiales. She was expected to testify that the kiss was not consensual, as she’s said previously. 

In a statement following the public kiss, Hermoso said she felt “vulnerable and a victim of aggression”, noting Rubiales’ action was “an impulsive, sexist, out of place act and without any kind of consent on my part.”

Hermoso also claims that Rubiales and his staff tried to pressure her and her family to downplay the incident that tarnished Spain’s first Women’s World Cup title. 

She testified behind closed doors to judge Francisco de Jorge who is investigating Rubiales on allegations of sexual assault and coercion. The court did not release any details about her statements. 

Spanish media has said Hermoso asked the judge to keep her court appearance as private as possible. Last year, she said she received threats in the fallout from the kiss but did not elaborate.

Following her testimony, Hermoso told reporters outside the courthouse that “everything went well”. 

“The judicial process will continue its course, and thanks for the support that many of you have given to me. I wish things go well,” she said. 

Before deciding whether to start a trial, the judge is also hearing testimony from other World Cup-winning players, coaches and federation officials. 

During the incident on the world football stage, footage shows Rubiales take Hermoso’s head in his hands and kiss her on the lips. 

His actions caused a national and international debate on sexism. It also led to the World Cup-winning players boycotting the national team. 

Based on a sexual consent law passed last year, Rubiales could face a fine or a prison sentence of one to four years if he’s found guilty in court. This is according to the prosecutor’s office in Madrid. 

Despite his denial of wrongdoing and his claim that the kiss was consensual, a judge imposed a restraining order on Rubiales not to contact Hermoso. 

FIFA also banned Rubiales for three years until after the men’s 2026 World Cup. His ban expires before the next women’s tournament in 2027. 

Rubiales eventually resigned as the federation president and as a UEFA vice-president on September 10 amid rising pressure from Spanish politicians and players. 

Before this, he’d been adamantly against doing so, having screamed at a Federation meeting:  “I will not resign, I will not resign, I will not resign!”

One day following his resignation, UEFA thanked Rubiales for his service. 

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Several people have come forward with allegations that the former 2GB radio host allegedly sexually assaulted them in the early 2000s, when Jones was at the peak of his career.

Kate McClymont, the SMH’s chief investigative reporter, led the investigation at the Nine newspaper which was published on Thursday. Nine Entertainment owns the SMH as well as 2GB.

Alan Jones’ lawyers provided a response to the SMH over the allegations, “vehemently” denying it all.

“Our client denies ever having indecently assaulted the persons referred to in your letter, and your suggestion that he has is scandalous, grossly offensive and seriously defamatory of him,” the statement read.

Following the publication of the story today, prominent 2GB hosts addressed the story on air. Ray Hadley shared a statement to listeners saying he cut contact with Alan Jones after meeting and hearing the allegations from one of the accusers, a former 2GB employee, who has been given the pseudonym Brad Webster.

“My relationship with Alan Jones goes back 30 years. It’s been an unusual one; we’ve had many battles and some good times,” Hadley said this morning after the story was published.

“From the day I spoke to Bradley, our relationship was basically severed, given it had already been strained over other matters not related to the allegations made by Bradley.”

Hadley also shared about Bradley that, “I regard this young man as not being an attention seeker or a person who seeks notoriety but rather directly the opposite.”

He said he listened silently for “forty minutes” while Bradley went through the allegations that have been documented in today’s story and was “interrupted only by his tears as he tried to compose himself. It was a very emotional conversation for both of us.

“The behaviour he was alleging was unwanted sexual advances from a person in a position of power. That being his boss, Alan Jones.”

Hadley says he offered Bradley his “unqualified support” and asked him what he wanted him to do next. He says he offered to speak to the then station owner and then station chairman, or perhaps act as a support person. Hadley says Bradley said that he had too much to lose, and would be “crushed by making such an allegation. He asked me to promise I would never reveal what we had discussed without his express permission.”

Hadley said that Bradley has now given him permission to reveal their conversations.

Another 2GB host Ben Fordham also addressed the story on Thursday. He said that the allegations were confronting for listeners and affected formed staff members of the radio station.

“Alan knows better than anyone that we don’t shy away from challenging topics and that’s why we are talking about this case here and now.”

The SMH investigation shares details of Alan Jones’ life and career, rising through the sporting world, going on to coach the Wallabiles and the Balamain Tigers, and becoming head of English at The King’s School in Parramatta in Sydney, when he was 26 years old. Jones would go on to become a speechwriter and into television and radio.

McClymont shares some of Jones’ controversial views and the commercial impact they have had on the impact. She revealed that when the Nine network obtained 2GB in 2019, an estimated $20 million had been lost in advertising. According to McClymont, major advertisers pulled the plug after Jones, on his show in 2019, said former PM Scott Morrison should “shove a sock” down then NZL Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s throat and hoped Morrison would get “touch here with a few backhanders”.

The allegations of indecent assault came from five alleged victims, as well as other anonymous people backing up the claims. They include the former 2GB employee whom Ray Hadley said he met with, and shared allegations of his experiences working at the station when he was 20 years old.

He told McClymont that he wanted people to know of these allegations before Jones dies.

“If people don’t know about this, Alan will get the state funeral,” Webster said in the SMH article.

“He will get the prime minister going to his funeral.”

McClymont also details allegations from the late Alex Hartman, who rose to business fame after he sold a software company to Telstra in 1998, at the age of 17. At 18, Hartman was diagnosed with serious bipolar disorder. McClymont reports that Hartman had contacted a number of people in the industry about an allegation of indecent assault that occurred at a dinner Jones organised for Hartman to have at his former home in Newtown, Sydney.

McClymont shares corporate records showing that Jones invested in Hartman’s technological pursuits and supported him financially when he was young.

Hartman considered returning to Australia from his home in Switzerland so he could report the allegations to police. Sadly, he died in October 2019, when he was 39 years old.

Other allegations come from a former restaurant worker who alleges he was groped by Jones while he was working, and when he was 22. Another accuser alleges that Jones groped him while they were driving to a restaurant together, when he was 26 years old. He alleges that when he pushed Jones away and told him to stop, Jones replied, “Why aren’t you afraid of me like everyone else?” The final accusor detailed in the piece was an aspiring musician in 2008, when he alleges that Jones grabbed and kissed him without consent.

2GB staff have received offers of support this morning from Nine’s managing director for radio Tom Malone, and HR Director Vanessa Morley. The email notes that the story may be “distressing” and that a dedicated phone line has been established for anyone who has been “impacted directly or indirectly.”

“We take our responsibility to create a supportive and respectful workplace very seriously, and continue to work with people across all parts of the business to support anyone impacted historically or currently to resolve issues that may arise in their day-to-day roles.”

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The Commonwealth government’s recent Outcomes Framework identifies key targets that need to be met if we are to end violence against women in “one generation”, as set out in the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022–2032.

The targets include:

• 25% annual reductions in women being killed by intimate partners
• improved understanding of violence against women and support for gender equality in the community
• halving the rate of all forms of domestic/family violence and abuse against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children by 2031, as progress towards zero.

Yet, Indigenous women in Australia are eight times more likely than non-Indigenous women to be murdered. Overall, one woman is killed by an intimate partner every two weeks in Australia.

There is no doubt violence against women has gained critical public and policy attention. But sometimes it can feel as though the problem is growing and that nothing we are doing is working to stop it.

So how much progress are we actually making?

What the data show: the good news

Any preventable death is one too many, and zero homicides of any person should be our ultimate goal. Yet data from the National Homicide Monitoring Program show a reduction in intimate partner homicide in particular.

For example, in the most recent report, 25 females were killed by an intimate partner (2020-21). That’s a 31% reduction in one year from 2019-20, when 36 females were killed by an intimate partner. In 2016-17, 40 females were killed by an intimate partner, so the reduction over five years to 2020-21 is about 38%.

While the rates vary year-to-year, the good news is that the overall trend over the past decade shows intimate partner homicide is in steady decline.

Another critical measure of violence against women is the Personal Safety Survey (PSS). This is the most accurate measure of self-reported experiences of all forms of personal violence in Australia.

Conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics since 2005, the fourth wave was released earlier this year. While we often hear the lifetime prevalence rates of violence against women, it is changes in rates of violence experienced during the past 12 months that are most sensitive to current policies and programs. This means they are most useful for monitoring a decrease over time.

The survey shows rates of total partner violence, including both physical and sexual violence, have reduced. Overall, the 12-month partner violence rate decreased significantly, from 2.3% in the 12 months prior to the last survey (in 2016) to 1.5% during 2021-2022. The rate of cohabiting partner violence over the past two years has either decreased or not changed in all states of Australia (NT and ACT not reported).

Rates of sexual harassment in the most recent survey (2021-22) were also the lowest they’ve ever been in every state and territory. And there was a significant reduction in the national 12-month rate of sexual harassment to 12.6% in 2021-22 compared to 17.3% in 2016.

As a community, we are also hearing more about the truth of violence against women. This does seem to be improving our knowledge and attitudes. The Australian National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) survey of Australian community attitudes towards violence against women (NCAS) identified that understanding and rejection of violence against women has been increasing over the past 12 years.

Where do we have the most work to do?

As mentioned, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women experience violence at higher rates than non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women. Available national data tell us that, despite comprising less than 3% of the population, Indigenous women have consistently experienced higher rates of homicide than non-Indigenous women since 2005–2006. The average rate is eight times higher than for non-Indigenous women.

Professor Kyllie Cripps’ coronial records investigation into 151 Indigenous women killed over the past two decades due to intimate partner violence by Indigenous and non-Indigenous men further found that almost all had sought help from the police but did not receive the support that could have saved their lives.

Alarmingly, national data on unsolved missing persons cases highlight that Indigenous women represent up to 10% of cases. This is significant, as many are presumed dead.

When these data are coupled with statistics highlighting the disproportionate rate at which Indigenous women are hospitalised for assault-related injuries (32 times higher than for non-Indigenous women), there is clearly much work to be done in this area.

Our national datasets do not routinely report on the specific experiences of Indigenous women. This makes it difficult to know if there have been reductions in intimate partner and family violence in recent years.

But statistics alone do not articulate the complexity of these women’s stories and the systemic challenges they have encountered. This requires more in-depth research and engagement with Indigenous communities to appreciate risk, and how that translates into intervention and prevention strategies.

The Senate Inquiry into Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children and the dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan are investments in building evidence to better understand the systemic issues and ultimately end the pervasive family, domestic and sexual violence in communities across the nation.

A further issue raised by the available data is the persistent rate of sexual assault in the Australian community. The 12-month prevalence rate from the last Personal Safety Survey showed no significant change in sexual assault or threatened sexual assault, a trend that has remained steady since 2005.

Further, the most recent national survey of Australian community attitudes towards violence against women (NCAS) identified that overall, four in ten Australians mistrust women’s reports of sexual violence. This suggests we still have a way to go to better educate and inform people about the reality of sexual assault and to support women in reporting it.

There has been a welcome increase in policy and funding to address violence against women across Australia in recent years as well as investments in research.

And while it is difficult to directly attribute reductions in violence against women to specific policy actions, the data to date show there is cause for optimism that our efforts are beginning to have a meaningful impact.

It’s not yet clear if these reductions will continue – we need to analyse the trend over time to make a clear assessment. And we need further investigation on how our prevention and response efforts affect different groups within the Australian population to ensure that all women are safer.

But it is clear that to end violence against women “in one generation” – between 20 and 30 years – we must not lose our focus. It will continue to take a coordinated and evidence-based set of actions across our whole community to address, and ultimately prevent, violence against women in Australia.

If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732. In immediate danger, call 000.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Such is the warning of sexual assault survivor-advocate Harrison James, as he campaigns for legislative change to end character references for convicted child sexual abuse perpetrators.

It follows the murder of Lilie James at the hands of a man described as a “role model” and an “absolute delight” by the principal of the school he attended, who also said “he appeared to be just like the best of us”.

“He” being a person alleged to have bashed his former girlfriend to death with a hammer to the skull and face, before jumping off a cliff himself to avoid any living consequences.

What a delight.

Predators are beloved too

The reality is, even serial rapists with 31 victims can be called “a kind-hearted hero and a father figure” by their family who “had no idea” and “were beyond shocked”. 

In recent months, convicted rapist-by-force, Danny Masterson, also received glowing character references from two of his former That 70s Show co-stars seeking to minimise his sentence.

In legal letters, Ashton Kutcher declared that Masterson “always treated people with decency, equality, and generosity”, while Mila Kunis gushed that the convicted rapist “demonstrates grace and empathy in every situation”.

I have no doubt that every word of these glowing references is true. 

I also have no doubt that Masterson is still a rapist.

Because it is entirely possible for a man to be both a great friend and colleague, or a loving family man, and still be a vicious sexual predator. Predators, abusers, and rapists are rarely the dark and shady trope we see on TV or in movies. 

The truth is they are our brothers, fathers, colleagues, friends, that lovely guy who serves us coffee each morning. They walk amongst us, smiling politely. 

They do not reveal their capacity for violence in every interaction or relationship. This skill is often how they groom their victims in the first place.

My first rapist was lovely

In the moments before my first rapist turned his comments about my clothing into devastating actions, my eight-year-old self had two distinct thoughts.

First was “his eyes are blue like mine”. Second was “he’s never done this before”, even though I didn’t quite know what “this” was going to be. 

He was softly nervous. Gentle, even. Until he wasn’t.

Even now, I could picture the man who first presented to me coaching a local soccer team, or being a (publicly) loving dad to young children. 

He could probably corral a whole handful of glowing character references too, had I understood what had happened to me, and had the ability to report him!

Change begins at home

The reality is the vast majority of sexual assault – 97 percent in Australia – is perpetrated by men.

So when I found out several years ago that my pregnancy would result in a baby boy, my heart both sighed with relief and seized up in fear.

On the one hand, I know firsthand how dangerous it is to occupy a woman’s body in this world. My body has been taken from me on dozens of occasions, used for stolen pleasure while I experienced excruciating pain. 

I was relieved it wasn’t a girl, because my role as her protector would be overwhelming.

But my body wasn’t taken from me on so many occasions by an unnamed, unknown faceless force. It was taken from me by men.

And these men were also at one point a tiny foetus in a mother’s womb, ready to burst into the world helpless, innocent, and cherished beyond words. 

So to love my precious baby boy fiercely means to face the reality that he is statistically more likely to commit sexual assault, than to be falsely accused of it.

Despite false reports of abuse being a common trope in fiction – and a staggering one in five Australians believing women routinely invent or exaggerate claims – the data does not support this fear.

“False” reporting of sexual assault actually sits somewhere between 2 and 7 percent of all reports, which is slightly lower than false reporting for other types of crimes. But, unlike other crime types, these numbers are wildly inflated by the inclusion of reports withdrawn out of fear or trauma, or cases that have gone unproven.

So to help all of our boys grow into their most enriched self means rejecting these myths and instead teaching them accountability from the earliest of ages, all the way up through to adulthood.

It means, as a society, loving them by refusing to jump to defend the indefensible, at the expense of victims now and into the future.

As both a rape victim and the mother of a loved-beyond-words beautiful son, this must happen for both of us.

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The woman, who was working as an extra on the set of the movie in July 2010, filed her case in the New York Supreme Court last Friday. 

In court documents, the woman described the assault, calling Brand’s actions “disgusting”.

Before the assault occurred, “[Brand] appeared intoxicated, smelled of alcohol, and was carrying a bottle of vodka on set”, the woman, who is referred to as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, wrote. 

Brand then exposed himself to the woman in front of the cast and crew, the court documents stated. 

“The sexual assault happened later that same day when I was in the bathroom. Mr. Brand entered after me and assaulted me, as a member of the production crew guarded the door from outside.” 

“As a result of the sexual abuse, I suffered and continue to suffer extreme embarrassment, shame, and fear,” she said, adding that she is speaking out anonymously for fear of being blacklisted in Hollywood. 

“Everyone usually turns a blind eye to bad behaviour on a set. If I had come forward and said something to, say, even a production assistant on the set, what are they going to do? Are they going to fire Russell Brand, or are they going to fire me?”

The complainant is also suing the companies that helped produce the movie, including Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Discovery, MBST Entertainment, BenderSpink and Langley Park Pictures. 

In her only media interview to date, the woman told UK’s Sunday Times that she felt “felt used and abused.”

“Disgusting is the only word,” she remarked about Brand, who was at the time engaged to Katy Perry. “I felt like I was being used, that I was an object for his momentary titillation.”

“I am trying to get my power back by speaking up about it,” she continued. 

“And if there are other people who have had something like this happen, I want to help them have the courage to come forward too. Because honestly, that’s what gave me the strength to do this.”

Brand has not responded to the latest lawsuit against him, which comes two months after he was accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013 by four women. 

The allegations were first published mid-September in an exclusive investigation by The Sunday Times. On the same day, the allegations were broadcast in a joint television documentary, Russell Brand – In Plain Sight, which aired on Channel 4 in the UK. 

The night before these allegations were published, Brand posted a video on his socials, denying all the allegations and calling them a “coordinated attack”. 

The joint investigation between BBC and Banijay UK is ongoing, and the Metropolitan police have encouraged victims to come forward.

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On Monday, the world soccer’s ruling body announced the 46-year old’s ban from all national and international activities for having breached Article 13 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which stipulates the basic rules of decent conduct including a prohibition of insulting or “offensive gestures, signs or language.” 

Rubiales, who was suspended for 90 days for kissing Spanish forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips non-consensually at this year’s Women’s World Cup final, has been given 10 days to request a ‘motivated decision’, which if sought, will be published on FIFA’s website.

“FIFA reiterates its absolute commitment to respecting and protecting the integrity of all people and ensuring that the basic rules of decent conduct are upheld,” a FIFA statement said.

The organisation had investigated charges relating to “basic rules of decent conduct” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute.”

“The decision remains subject to a possible appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee.” 

Rubiales responded by telling his followers on X, formerly Twitter, he would appeal against the ban. 

“I am announcing as of now that I will be appealing,” Rubiales wrote in Spanish.

“I will go to the last resort so that justice is done and the truth shines. Due to the many efforts of some politicians, media and institutions, the disproportion and injustice committed is becoming increasingly clear,” he added in a post which included an emoji of flexed biceps. 

Rubiales’ lawyers have thus far not commented on FIFA’s decision.

In September, Rubiales resigned as the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) after Hermoso filed a criminal complaint against him. 

In her compliant, Hermoso accused Rubiales and his team of issuing a statement without her approval quoting her as saying the kiss was a “mutual, totally spontaneous gesture”.

Former England midfielder Sue Smith has welcomed the latest decision by FIFA to ban Rubiales for three years. 

“Something had to be done. I watched it at the time and thought it wasn’t right,” she told Sky Sports. “Women’s football stuck together on this and it’s the right outcome.”

After her team’s World Cup win, Hermoso issued a public statement declaring she felt “vulnerable” and like the “victim of an aggression” when she was publicly kissed without her consent by Rubiales.

“At no time did I consent to the kiss”, she wrote, adding “I won’t tolerate having my word doubted, much less have people investing things I didn’t say.”

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In being made to retell their assault story over and over, they can be retraumatised and made to wait years for their case to go to trial, delaying their opportunity to heal.

The public watched on as charges against Bruce Lehrmann for the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins (which he denies) were dropped because of concerns for Higgins’ mental health after a mistrial in 2022.

So is it the case that sexual assault trials simply shouldn’t be conducted in a general criminal court? Does Australia need dedicated facilities instead?

Vicki Lowik and Amanda-Jane George from CQUniversity Australia share this piece.

The harms of a combative court process

Cross-examination is a vital part of a regular criminal trial. But in sexual assault cases, it can be complicated.

It is the job of defence lawyers to create doubt in the minds of the jury about the victim/survivor and the assault.

This is often done by drawing on popular rape myths, such as: why didn’t you fight back? Was the attacker a stranger? Was a weapon used in the attack? Had you been drinking or taking drugs? What were you wearing?

Jurors can be influenced by this performance – a performance that reflects the attitudes of those in the community who doubt women’s reports of violence.

It can take a severe toll on victim/survivors.

In one Queensland case, it took eight years and two trials to resolve.

The first trial resulted in a hung jury, and the second in acquittal. The victim/survivor underwent cross-examination twice.

Such an extended court process can have a massive impact on a victim/survivor’s life.

Many feel they must delay holiday, career or study plans while they await vital court dates.

It makes it more likely they will withdraw their complaint.

The layout of courthouses can also be an issue.

Victim/survivors can be forced to come face-to-face with their alleged attacker due to a lack of alternative entrances and waiting areas.

Reforms have helped, but not enough

Reforms over the past 50 years have achieved some improvements in the criminal justice process for victim/survivors.

Research shows that, in some Australian jurisdictions, procedural reforms such as giving evidence via CCTV and closed courtrooms are working.

However, these reforms are inconsistent across jurisdictions.

Core re-traumatising features of trials, such as cross-examination without clear boundaries, remain part of the court experience where trauma-informed reforms have not been introduced.

Are dedicated courts the answer?

Some countries, such as South Africa, operate specialist sexual offences courts. Scotland is setting up a pilot specialist court.

The benefit of these courts is that all court personnel are trauma-informed and can deal with complex social issues and laws.

One early evaluation in South Africa shows 94.9% of victim/survivors were satisfied with prosecutors, and 87.5% were satisfied with their preparation for trial.

Almost all felt totally or fairly safe at court.

Only 20% found the defence attorney intimidated them, and less than a third felt their personal dignity was insulted during cross-examination.

South Africa also implements “juryless” trials, heard by a judge and a two-person lay panel, which may be a factor in the favourable findings.

Specialists courts can also reduce delays.

Yet there are risks to such a narrow approach.

It may lead to a gradual loss of more general legal skills and too narrow a focus, which may result in biased decision-making.

In fact, it may not be necessary to create a separate standalone court to get better outcomes.

Research has shown trauma-informed training is necessary for court personnel to understand and help prevent victim/survivor retraumatisation.

This can be achieved within the existing court system.

Regular courts can have a “specialist approach” – a different way of running proceedings for sexual assault cases that better meet the needs of victim/survivors.

This can be on specific days of the week around normal court operations.

Significantly, having a separate specialist approach within the general criminal court system to deal exclusively with sexual assault cases may introduce positive culture change.

Studies indicate a comprehensive specialist approach may be the missing link in reforming the adversarial system.

More to do to improve court experiences

Our review of international practice identified a range of things Australia could do to significantly improve victim/survivors’ experiences in the criminal justice system.

These include:

• specialist trauma-informed training for all court personnel, including defence counsel
• measures to better inform victim/survivors about their case, and improve communication
• linking victim/survivors to support services and providing safe court facilities
• specialists (called “intermediaries”) who can help victim/survivors understand court processes
• specialist case management, including ground rules hearings to address inappropriate questioning in cross-examination
• pre-recorded evidence.

Standalone sexual assault courts would be one way of implementing these measures, but it’s not the only way.

Specialist approaches with trauma-informed legal staff would also put these actions into place without the need for a dedicated court.

Introducing these measures wouldn’t fix everything, but it’s certainly a starting point to help reduce the harm that’s too often compounded by court proceedings.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Vicki Lowik is Research Officer with the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research at CQUniversity Australia and Amanda-Jane George is a Postgraduate Research Coordinator and Senior Lecturer in Innovation & Intellectual Property Law, School of Business and Law, CQUniversity Australia

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Pleading guilty to one count of sexual assault in a Melbourne court on Thursday, Mathieson has been fined $7,000 and avoided jail time for the offense. 

The 67-year-old admitted to sucking on the female victim’s nipple and latching onto her breast after she tried to push him away– an act that left the woman feeling so unsafe and violated that she moved interstate within the weeks following. 

“A serious example of sexual assault,” is what Magistrate Belinda Franjic called the offense, adding that it was “particularly egregious” considering it occurred in the victim’s own home as they were “vulnerable by virtue of being asleep”. 

“When the victim woke up and pushed him away, he kept trying to get his mouth back on her breast,” said Franjic. “That aggravates the seriousness of the offending in my view”. 

In March last year, the woman invited Mathieson to her apartment where the pair drank wine and ate a meal before watching a Whitney Houston documentary. The court heard that the woman fell asleep on the couch before waking up to him sucking her nipple and cupping her right breast. When she told him “don’t do that”, he continued to assault her.

According to court documents, Mathieson denied the sexual assault allegation when interviewed by police. However, he agreed to the version of events read out by the prosecutor when in court.

In her victim impact statement read to the court, the woman– who is three decades younger than Mathieson– said the assault resulted in her suffering anxiety, depression and bulimia. 

“I considered the offender to be my friend and this completely confused and put my reality into question,” said the woman.

“I was in a state of confusion, anger and feeling completely disrespected.”

Mathieson’s lawyer has said “he’s sorry for the impact of the offending”. 

The prosecutor has reported the female victim moved to New South Wales after the assault and has now relocated overseas to have familial support and to “feel safer”. 

The maximum penalty for Mathieson’s offence is 10 years jail but the magistrate took into consideration that this is his first criminal record and that he has a long history of charitable and philanthropic work. She also considered Mathieson’s early guilty plea, which spared the victim from having to testify at a trial. 

A former hairdresser, Mathieson first entered the public spotlight when he began dating then-Labor deputy leader Julia Gillard in 2006. Australia knew him as “First Bloke” when he moved into the Lodge as Gillard became Prime Minister in 2010. 

Mathieson committed his sexual assault offense just weeks before Gillard publicly confirmed the pair had split. 

Lawyers have confirmed he’s currently enrolled in a men’s behavioural program due to start early next year.

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The allegations were first published over the weekend in an exclusive investigation by The Sunday Times. Hours later, the allegations was broadcast in a joint television documentary, Russell Brand – In Plain Sight, which aired on Channel 4 in the UK. 

The accusers 

Among the several women who’ve come forward to make allegations against Brand, four went on the record — only one has so far chosen to identify herself, while the others remained anonymous. According to the Times, the women do not know each other, though all of them felt ready to speak out after reporters approached them individually. 

Chronologically charting the allegations – the first alleged assault took place in 2006, when Brand, who was then 30, engaged in an emotionally abusive and controlling relationship with a school student, who was at the time, 16. 

The woman claimed that Brand referred to her as “the child” and in hindsight, realised that what he did to her during their three-month long relationship constituted grooming. 

The woman said that Brand, who was at the time a radio presenter for BBC Radio 6 Music and host of Big Brother’s Big Mouth — approached her while she was shopping and asked her out on a date, insisting she wear the dress she’d just purchased to the date. 

During the date, the woman claims that Brand asked her to confirm her age. Over the next three months, the woman said that Brand sent a car to her school to take her out of class, told her what to tell her parents to keep the relationship a secret, and asked her to save his name as “Carly” in her phone.

“Russell engaged in the behaviours of a groomer, looking back, but I didn’t even know what that was then, or what that looked like,” she told the Times.  

During his time as a presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music, Brand allegedly undressed in the studio while working on the show.  

In 2020, the woman reached out to Brand’s literary agent at the time, Tavistock Wood, and said a lawyer representing the comedian denied the allegations and accused her of seeking money.  

In the last few days, Tavistock Wood has terminated all dealings with Brand. Wood released a statement through the PA news agency, saying “Russell Brand categorically and vehemently denied the allegation made in 2020, but we now believe we were horribly misled by him. TW has terminated all professional ties to Brand.”

The second accuser, Jordan Martin, said that Brand was sexually and emotionally abusive during their six-month relationship in 2007.

Martin self-published a book, “Knot: Entanglement with a Celebrity: a memoir by a woman” in 2014, where she recounted an incident where Brand assaulted her at the Lowry hotel in Manchester. Though she declined to be interviewed by the Sunday Times reporters, she told them she stood by her account. 

A third woman alleges that she was raped by Brand at his Los Angeles home in July 2012. 

She went to the Rape Treatment Centre to be treated after the assault, and received therapy treatment for five months.

Medical records have been cited by the Sunday Times, showing the woman had considered taking legal action against Brand, but eventually decided against it. 

A fourth woman, who had worked with Brand in a professional capacity, said that she was assaulted at his home in LA in 2013. 

The woman claims that Brand threatened her with legal action if she told anyone about the incident, and said she feared retribution if she spoke out. 

Brand’s denial 

The night before these allegations were published, Brand, who has spent the last few years expanding his influence as a political commentator and wellness guru, posted a video on his socials, denying all the allegations and calling them a “coordinated attack”.

“Amidst this litany of astonishing, rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute,” he told his fans. 

He said that his relationships have been “always consensual” and that he has been receiving letters from the media containing “a litany” of “aggressive attacks”.

“These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies, and as I’ve written about extensively in my books I was very, very promiscuous,” he said. 

Brand was given eight days to respond to the allegations before they were published, according to the Times. On the day before the news broke, he posted his response video. 

The Metropolitan Police released a statement saying it was “aware of media reporting of a series of allegations of sexual assault”, though failed to identity the 48-year old celebrity by name. 

“If anyone believes they have been the victim of a sexual assault, no matter how long ago it happened, we would encourage them to contact police,” a spokesperson said. 

On the same day the allegations were published, Brand performed a comedy show at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre in north-west London. 

During the hour-long set, Brand told audiences, “There are obviously some things that I absolutely cannot talk about and I appreciate that you will understand.”

A spokesman from Channel 4 told BBC News: “Channel 4 is appalled to learn of these deeply troubling allegations, including behaviour alleged to have taken place on programmes made for Channel 4 between 2004 and 2007.” 

“We are determined to understand the full nature of what went on. We have carried out extensive document searches and have found no evidence to suggest the alleged incidents were brought to the attention of Channel 4.” 

“We will continue to review this in light of any further information we receive, including the accounts of those affected individuals. We will be asking the production company who produced the programmes for Channel 4 to investigate these allegations and report their findings properly and satisfactorily to us.”

A BBC spokesman has also come out to say it has, “…over successive years, evolved its approach to how it manages talent and how it deals with complaints or issues raised.”

“We have clear expectations around conduct at work. These are set out in employment contracts, the BBC Values, the BBC code of conduct and the anti-bullying and harassment policy.”

“We will always listen to people if they come forward with any concerns, on any issue related to any individual working at the BBC, past or present.”

Brand kicked off his career as a stand-up comedian in the early 2000s before hosting television programs such as Big Brother’s Big Mouth and other shows across multiple networks including Channel 4, MTV, Radio X and the BBC. 

His Hollywood profile escalated after he starred in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him To The Greek and Arthur. He has had relationships with several A-list celebrities, including Teresa Palmer, Jemima Goldsmith and was formerly married to pop star, Katy Perry. 

Since 2017, he has been married to actor Laura Brand. The pair share two children. 

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