Eastenders Explores Criminal Process for Reporting Sexual Abuse

Police Investigation

In one episode, it was confirmed that Ben’s rapist, Lewis Butler had been arrested and then bailed after insisting that it had been consensual. A worry that’s shared by many survivors of rape is that they will not be able to prove that what they experienced was sexual abuse. Unfortunately, this deters a lot of people from reporting the situation to the police.

But the accused being granted bail doesn’t necessarily mean that the case is dropped. The police will conduct a thorough investigation, the details of which will be sent on to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to decide whether the person should be prosecuted.

The CPS will consider a number of factors in their decision, including:

• The case for prosecution submitted by the police
• If there are alternatives to prosecution that would have more benefit for the public
• Whether the case has merit and it is ultimately in the public interest to prosecute

If the CPS decide there should be a prosecution, they will prepare and present a case against the accused in court. If the CPS don’t pursue a prosecution, you’ll be informed of the reasons why. You’ll also have the right to request a review under the Victims’ Right to Review (VRR) scheme.

In regards to EastEnders, the case against Lewis was sadly dropped by the police. A year later, Lewis went on to rape another male victim, and justice was then obtained for the two victims whose lives were ruined because of his heinous acts.

Sexual Abuse Against Male Victims

This story line was very important for EastEnders to air, as male victims often suffer in silence. According to the Office for National Statistics, one in three victims of domestic abuse each year are men. Between 2021 and 2022, a concerning number of 699,000 men experienced domestic abuse. Despite this significant figure, awareness about this issue remains relatively low.

It’s also important to note that statistics on the number of men facing domestic or sexual abuse may not always portray the full reality. This is because male victims of domestic violence are two and a half times less likely to tell anyone about the abuse they’re experiencing, meaning it may never be reported. In 2022, there were 1.2% of men in the UK that suffered from sexual abuse, which is a huge difference from the domestic abuse reports. Sadly, this is not because of the lower crime rate — but instead, less males report this type of crime.

Although there is clearly a need for accessible support for men suffering domestic abuse, only 4.4 percent of male victims are actually supported by local domestic abuse services.

The statistics reveal that 49% of male victims don’t open up or tell anyone what they are experiencing, so they tend to suffer in silence.

Domestic Abuse has historically been portrayed as a gender centred crime, which means that most people often think of abuse towards women, and not towards men. Clearly, this is categorically incorrect, but this leads to why men are overlooked as victims.

Alternative Ways to Seek Justice after Suffering Sexual Abuse

We know that it can be devastating to have taken the steps to report sexual abuse to the police, only to be told that a prosecution won’t be brought. But if you find yourself in this situation, there are other methods for seeking justice.

You may be able to bring forward a claim through the civil courts, allow you the opportunity to bring legal action against the individual who abused you, or the organisation who employed them, without a conviction needing to have been made previously.

Alternatively, you could make an application to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) there is no requirement that your abuser is convicted only that you have reported the abuse to the police and cooperated with the policy. Which is what Ben from EastEnders could have potentially proceeded with when the CPS decided not to prosecute his abuser.

If you or a loved one has suffered sexual abuse, either recently or in the past, we could help you navigate the process of reporting it to the police as well as supporting you in accessing support and compensation through a civil or criminal injuries claim.

What to do if you are suffering Domestic or Sexual Abuse

Unfortunately, the continued lack of awareness around domestic and sexual violence towards men often leads to the signs of abuse being missed. People are generally less likely to assume that men are suffering domestic abuse and, as a result, may hesitate to reach out to offer support.

If you believe someone close to you is experiencing any kind of abuse from their partner, it’s important that you act on this and assist the person in reporting the matter to the Police.

If you are a man suffering sexual abuse it is important that you know that you are not alone and you will be believed. There are specialist organisations such as the ManKind Initiative who will be able to provide you with support throughout this extremely difficult process.

Asking for help as a man can be hard, as society puts an extreme amount of pressure on you to act strong. There is no such thing as shame, and people will be there to believe you. Call us on 0808 239 1287 for trusted, Expert advice, delivered quickly and clearly, and let us help you on this journey.