Suzi Dent bravely gave evidence against sex offender Rolf Harris after he groped and harassed her when she was 24. She writes for the Mirror about how the public struggle to accept celebrities they admire like Russell Brand, are capable of such crimes
When I heard Russell Brand was found guilty of rape and sexual assault, I found myself right back where I was in 2014 at the trial of Rolf Harris. Sadly, every time another famous person faces serious allegations, whether it’s Russell Brand, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Huw Edwards or someone else entirely, I recognise the same public conversation. The names change. The emotions rarely do.
As someone who gave evidence in the Rolf Harris trial, I know just how difficult it is to speak out against someone the public admires. I also know why so many people struggle to believe it could possibly be true.
People often ask why women wait so long to come forward. I’ve come to believe we’re asking the wrong question. The better question is this. Why is it still so incredibly hard to speak in the first place?
I didn’t come forward because I wanted attention. I came forward because I watched an interview with one of the young women Rolf Harris had abused. She was only 14 years old when he assaulted her, and I knew she wasn’t lying. I came forward for her. I came forward for the other women. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
For a long time, I couldn’t understand why so many people called us liars or accused us of wanting money. There wasn’t any money. There never was. We wanted justice. Looking back now, I don’t think it was only the victim/survivors who had a journey to make. The public did too.
When someone has entertained you for decades, you’ve welcomed them into your home through your television, you’ve trusted them and admired them, discovering that they may have abused that trust is incredibly confronting.
People weren’t just losing a celebrity. They were losing someone they thought they knew. That doesn’t excuse victim blaming. It never will. But understanding it has helped me stop carrying the anger I once felt towards people who couldn’t believe us. Eventually I realised they weren’t asking the same question I was.
I was asking, “Why don’t they believe us?” Many of them were asking themselves, “How could someone I trusted possibly have done this?” Those are two very different questions.
It took me five years before I chose to waive the anonymity the British courts had given me. I didn’t wait because I was afraid or ashamed. I waited because I was watching what was happening. Every day I read the newspapers. I saw millions of people trying to come to terms with the fact that someone they had trusted for decades might not be the person they believed he was.
Many were angry. Many called us liars. Many lashed out at the women who had spoken. Looking back now, I don’t think they were only reacting to us. They were trying to make sense of their own shock, grief and betrayal. I realised something important. The truth had never changed. Society simply needed time to catch up with it.
Giving evidence in a British court was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but being treated with dignity and kindness throughout that process reminded me why justice matters. I understood that society needed time. Time to process what had happened. Time to grieve. Time to understand. Only then could many people truly hear the voices of the women who had spoken out.
Finding my voice changed my life. My hope is that by sharing it, someone else might find theirs.
After working as a makeup artist in television and film for more than 40 years, I’ve seen how celebrity can distort reality. Fame doesn’t cause abuse. But it can make it much harder for people to believe it.
I’ve also seen how power can create a world where people stop saying no, where inappropriate behaviour goes unchallenged, and where those with influence begin believing the normal rules no longer apply. That’s why healthy workplace cultures matter. That’s why safeguarding matters. And that’s why people who are brave enough to speak up matter.
Operation Yewtree changed Britain in many ways. For many people who had lived with historical abuse for decades, it was one of the first times they felt they weren’t just being listened to. They were finally being heard.
Even today, women still contact me after documentaries air. They tell me things they’ve never told anyone else. They don’t reach out because I have all the answers. They reach out because they know I’ll believe them. That is an incredible privilege. If there’s one thing I’ve learned through all of this, it’s that finding your voice can change your life.
My hope is that by sharing mine, someone else might find theirs. Because that’s how change happens. One person finds the courage to speak. Another person finds the courage to listen.
To learn more about Suzi’s work as a keynote speaker, advocate and media commentator, please visit www.suzident.com.
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
