Bethany Sadler was 19 when she was sexually assaulted in the centre of Harrogate in 2018. The recent murder and kidnap of Sarah Everard as she walked home in Clapham, London has brought back memories of her assault. Waiving her right to anonymity, Bethany writes about her experience and why she believes it's important to report such crimes to the police. 

On August 4, 2018, I was on my way to baby-sit for some family friends. I had been shopping in town, and was walking towards West Park Stray where their flat was. I remember it was an incredibly warm day, so I was dressed in a blue denim skirt and a red t-shirt. It must have been early evening, around 5pm, as it was still very light outside and busy in town.

I turned off into an alleyway, which leads to the apartments within metres of the street. As I was opening the gate into the apartments, I felt a hand reach up into my skirt and grab me in extremely intimate areas. Startled, I turned around to see a man staring right at me. It took a moment's eye contact before I slammed the gate and rang the apartment bell, causing him to sprint away.

As my friends let me in and I explained what happened, I remember crying and feeling violated. I was extremely shaken up, but wanted to shake it off and leave it behind. I called my mum, who insisted I report it to the police, but even then I was reluctant. I didn’t think it was a ‘big deal’, or important enough to report. I just thought I’d be wasting police time.

But, as it turned out, it was a big deal, and the police took it extremely seriously. Once I reported the assault I was contacted by a female detective, who came to my house to take a statement from me. She was incredibly kind, and explained to me that many of these events are not isolated.

The police thought they knew who had assaulted me. He had been caught on CCTV following me from the town centre and was already on a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. If I could identify him, it could prevent other women from going through the same thing, or worse. I am five foot two and have a very young face, and at the time I remember constantly thinking about how young I could have been. It affected me a lot more than I thought it would, so I can’t imagine the detrimental impact it would have had on a child.

The process of identification before the arrest was tough. I was called into the police station in York a month after the assault, where I was to be shown a series of pictures of men. I knew that if I identified the man who assaulted me, the charge would be much easier to prove. Each time I was shown the pictures, I was asked if I knew which male was the offender, how sure I was that it was him (on a scale of 0 to 100% sure). This was the hardest part the process for me, as not only was I potentially staring at the man who violated me, but I also began to doubt myself and my memory.

Until you have been through this process, it is hard to comprehend why someone wouldn’t report these crimes. But it is difficult to keep going through the trauma of the incident – no part of the process was easy. But when I got the news that he was going to prison for three years, alongside a sexual harm prevention order, I was so glad I had chosen to be brave. It turned out he had been following me with the intention of groping me. My identification and suspect description had linked him to CCTV footage which warranted arrest.

At the time I thought I could brush it off, but the truth is it did affect me, and it took a while before I felt completely safe. But if I hadn’t reported it, the problem wouldn’t have been fixed, and to this day I might still be dealing with the consequences.

Sexual assault should not be brushed under the carpet – it is always a big deal. It is always worth reporting.

• Connor Atkinson, of Green Way, Glusburn, near Keighley, was sentenced aged 20 in July 2019 to three years in a young offenders' institution and made subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, including electronic monitoring on his release from prison. He was told he would have to sign the sexual offences register indefinitely.