Rape? Jordan only mentioned it . . .

By Jill Hornby
Published: 8:28PM BST 18 Sep 2009

Comments 3 | Comment on this article

Katie Price, alias Jordan, alias that shy, retiring little flower, is "livid". She just happened to let slip that a celebrity raped her, years ago, and everyone's gone mad. She didn't want it to get out: she just "mentioned" the rape to OK! magazine, and then she was just doing "a shoot with the kids" and accidentally blurted out the celebrity's name, and "the press have gone on and on about it – they dig and dig and dig".

In fact, when dealing with Katie Price, not much digging is required. There is enough detail just lying there, in – so to speak – her topsoil. In general, her chosen profession as a full-time celebrity is nothing but a minor irritant in modern life. The fact that, by virtue of surgical enhancement and failure of inhibition, she has become a role model for younger women has, so far, merely been a bit depressing.

But this week, that all changed. According to the Fawcett Society, sexual violence against women in the UK is on the rise. In 2007, 47,000 cases of rape were reported; in 2001, it was just under 10,000. And still the research shows that of all the women who do experience a sexual assault, fewer than half ever report it.

It was to encourage women to come forward that victims of rape were given the right to anonymity in 1976. It was hard-fought-for at the time, but it worked: more victims reported rape, more cases reached court and more women were willing to engage in what can be a traumatic judicial process.

But it has always been subject to some controversy. In 2006, for example, Warren Blackwell was released after serving three years for a rape he did not commit. The woman, a fantasist, remained anonymous. The Australian snooker player Quinten Hann was acquitted of rape in 2002. He was named throughout the trial; his accuser never was.

False accusations of rape are, of course, few. But they have still weakened the case for this legal right, which has been so crucial for victims of sexual crimes for more than 30 years. And this week, we have had to endure the spectacle of this woman parading herself as a "victim", bandying the name of her "attacker" round TV studios, and dodging detectives who – in an inversion of regular police procedure – are chasing her round the Home Counties, keen to hear her story.

And why? Well, she's got yet another book out, and it's up against the Queen Mum and Ant and Dec. And her popularity's in a bit of a dip. And it seemed to work for Ulrika. And she's a celebrity. And after all, what's the value of a law that protects the rights of thousands of women when compared to a good front page?

Link...