Devon rape victim talks about why she reported it 25 years later

Lauren – not her real name – knows how much it takes. She knows how loud the voice was inside her own head telling her not to go to the police.

“I was really reluctant to come forward myself… but I would say, it really helps to set you free,” she said.

“I thought that I was going to lose my family, I thought I might… lose my friends. I even, stupidly, thought I might lose my job… because I hadn’t safeguarded others properly, but now I see that’s not the case at all.”

“You will be believed and supported,” she added.

In October, badminton coach Brian Furneaux from Ipplepen near Newton Abbot was sentenced to 13 years for two charges of rape and nine charges of sexual assault.

His victim Lauren was 15 at the time. Her decision to go to the police was made more than 20 years after the abuse she endured.

“It’s been the nasty secret that I’ve carried around for a long time, that I’ve felt a lot of guilt and shame about.

“Coming through it, and knowing that I’ve still got the support and love of my family and friends, it’s really liberating and it makes you feel justified,” she said.