She was struggling to breathe, and a silent primal scream rose in her throat.

Everything will be all right. Everything will be all right. Everything will be all right.

The clerk spoke again. ‘In the matter of Aiker versus Carmichael, do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty?’

‘Guilty,’ replied the foreman.

The court erupted but she didn’t hear the rest because just at that moment, Paul swivelled his head towards her, a glimmer of triumph playing on his lips, and the primal scream in her throat released itself in an explosion of agony.

52

‘…by that time of course, Rose had already done everything she was supposed to do. Call the police, report the sexual assault, be examined, the full works. But her case was thrown out by the Crown Prosecution Service because there wasn’t enough evidence. She’d looked into private prosecution by then too. I’d known Rose since I’d started volunteering at the youth club a few years ago. I knew how damaged some of these kids were – it’s my job, isn’t it – and then to be raped and told it wouldn’t stand up in court? What kind of system is that?

‘Anyway, she didn’t say very much about the case after that and I didn’t ask her about it. I knew it would be confidential and I didn’t want to pry. It’s only later when she asked me to give a statement… I didn’t want to at first and I’m ashamed to say it took me a while to agree. I’m not one for the police especially as I’d done community service for having a bit of weed on me. But Rose told me it would make a difference, so I eventually agreed and here I am.

‘I hadn’t even remembered that I’d got some pictures on my phone from that night until Rose asked me. Photos of her and Joshua arguing. Joshua going for her, his mates holding him back. Well, it didn’t look good did it? Thank God I took them…’

Epilogue

Paul

It was such a bittersweet moment watching Claire as they led her son away after the verdict. It’s not easy seeing someone you have loved fall apart, but all these years I have lived under the shadow of a reputation that Claire gave me.

A rapist.

I was never arrested or charged but I might as well have been the way everyone looked at me. No one believed me, no matter how much I denied any wrongdoing. Charlotte’s version of events was so powerful in its monstrosity that everyone thought it must be true. The teacher, the head teacher, even my own parents. And the only person who could’ve stopped it all was Claire.

But she chose not to.