‘I was a little bit shocked’: Former passport agent reveals she was raped and raped again after reporting to police
By MARGARET BROWN and DANIELLE FERGUSONThe Associated Press – LONDON (AP) A former passport agent who reported to police after a second time being raped says she has “totally changed her life” after the ordeal.
Theresa Hall was convicted of rape and sexual assault and served 10 years behind bars.
She was released in September.
She now says she wants to be an advocate for victims of sexual assault.
“I’m not going to sit around and say, ‘Oh, I’m going to get raped again,'” Hall told The Associated Press by phone from her home in Scotland, where she is living with her family.
“I don’t think I can ever get back to where I was.”
Hall, a former passport inspector, had been working for the British Ministry of Transport since 2012.
Her bosses were not aware of the allegations against her when she reported them to police in January 2018.
“It’s really been traumatic for me,” she said.
“It has definitely impacted on my mental health and I have a lot of issues.”
Hall said she was “slightly upset” at first but quickly became “very protective of my colleagues.”
Her boss and other colleagues also told her to keep quiet about the allegations, Hall said.
Hall said that when she finally told her bosses about the rape allegations, they told her it would be best for her to withdraw from the passport service.
She said her boss was “extremely shocked” and that she “didn’t want to be a liability” for the department.
“At first I was a bit shocked, but once I got into it and saw what they were doing to other people, I just had to let them know,” she told The AP.
“That’s how I became a better person.”
If they think I’m a liability, they’re going to put a lot more pressure on me to stay quiet and to be the victim.
“Hall has told her story to the British Association for Women, which has been lobbying for legislation to give her the right to speak out about sexual assault against her.”
McNeil has introduced a private member’s bill that would give her a right to tell her own story. “
The public are hearing this from so many people and I’m hoping we will get the right laws to make that happen.”
McNeil has introduced a private member’s bill that would give her a right to tell her own story.
It has been called the Protection of Survivors of Sexual Assault Act and it is currently in Parliament.
The British government says the bill will protect victims and help prevent another victim from going to the police.
Hall is now speaking out about her experience in a new book, “The Unwanted Child.”
“This is a story about my life that I have always wanted to tell and it’s been a very emotional journey,” Hall said, adding that she hopes to speak to others about their own experiences.
“For me to be able to give a voice to these other survivors and to share what they’ve been through and what it means for their families and their children, it’s really important that they are able to share their story,” she added.
