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Rape victim says she was harassed by her lawyers
The 40-year-old British woman, who was successful in securing the conviction of a man who raped her in Udaipur, Rajasthan, has claimed that she faced intimidation, harassment and the "woeful" inadequacy of the British High Commission for four months before achieving her objective.
- ANI
- Published: 00:30 May 2, 2008
London: The 40-year-old British woman, who was successful in securing the conviction of a man who raped her in Udaipur, Rajasthan, has claimed that she faced intimidation, harassment and the "woeful" inadequacy of the British High Commission for four months before achieving her objective.
The unidentified woman scathingly attacked local authorities and the community for harassing and intimidating her so much that the trial was almost as traumatic as the rape.
Manhandling
She also accused defence lawyers of 32-year-old Parbhat Singh, the owner of the Pardeshi guesthouse in Udaipur, who was sentenced to 21 years in prison for raping her on the night of December 23, of intimidating, mocking and manhandling her in court, and added that her own lawyers also verbally abused and even sexually harassed her.
"Of course, I am happy that the man who raped me is behind bars. But I only won because I could spend £25,000 (Dh181,250), take four months off work and resist all the harassment and intimidation. An Indian woman would not stand a chance," she said.
She also accused the British High Commission of providing "woefully inadequate" information and support.
The High Commission, which sent a representative to Udaipur twice at the start of the trial, responded by saying that it had provided consular assistance to an extremely high standard.
The woman said that her ordeal began when Singh brought extra blankets that she had requested to her room. He forced his way in, pushed her on to the bed and raped her with such brutality that she passed out momentarily and suffered convulsions and blood loss over the next few days.
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