Stacey Dooley - Season 9

The perception of how rape happens is changing, with 90 per cent of victims saying they know their attacker. Stacey Dooley meets four women who have reported being raped by someone they know - and follows their emotional journey as they fight to be believed in a system under immense strain. 

When Stacey first meets Jessie, Emma and Becca in 2022, their cases have been taken up by the Crown Prosecution Service, but they are all playing a waiting game, with delays stretching from months into years. As they navigate barrister strikes, postponed trials and long waits for their day in court, Stacey witnesses first-hand the impact this has on their lives and their loved ones around them. 

In Kent, Stacey meets Jessie, who was 22 when she reported being raped throughout their relationship by an ex-boyfriend, while she was asleep. She explains to Stacey that she had suppressed what happened to her during her relationship, and it was only after she received a Facebook message from his ex-girlfriend describing a similar experience that Jessie was able to open up about what she alleges happened to her. After waiting almost a year and a half, Jessie gets the call to say that, despite the barrister strikes, the trial is still scheduled for the following week. Stacey goes to court to listen to the opening statements, only to discover the trial has been postponed at the last minute. Stacey is at a loss as to what this means for the women. As Jessie's frustration grows, she questions whether she can cope with the process any longer, confiding in Stacey that she is close to retracting her statement. 

When Stacey meets Emma, 19, it's been two years since she reported being orally raped by a fellow student at college. Her trial has already been postponed three times when Stacey meets with her. She goes on to reveal the emotional toll the alleged assault has taken, explaining how she once blamed herself and kept the assault secret. 

Emma confided in her parents, who encouraged her to report to the police. After she has taken the stand and been cross-examined, she meets up with Stacey and explains the lengths to which the defence have tried to pick apart her credibility and questions whether the jury will believe her word against his. With the verdict in, will she get the outcome she is hoping for? 

Meanwhile, Becca, 22, reported her alleged assault eight months after it happened, supported by her new boyfriend, Joe. After finding out her trial is being postponed, Stacey calls Becca and discovers she's determined to push back. She has decided to write directly to the judge, pleading for them to help people like herself who have been brave enough to come forward but are being thwarted by the system. But will it be enough to bring her trial forward? And when will Jessie get the day she hopes for in court

As Stacey continues to follow the emotional journey of the young women who have reported rape and are now trying to navigate the justice system, we learn the statistics are stark. Less than two per cent of reported sexual assaults result in conviction, although this increases to over 50 per cent for cases that proceed to trial. As their trials near, the women learn that credibility also plays a pivotal role. 

Stacey catches up with Becca, who, having had her trial postponed, wrote a pleading letter to the judge on her case, explaining the emotional impact it's had on her. Becca tells Stacey that she's since received a notification to say that her trial date has been brought forward. Although she is pleased, it forces her to confront the reality of her day in court. She tells Stacey about her pretrial visit to the court, where she received guidance on how to present herself as credibly as possible. 

Stacey hears that Becca received advice to abstain from attending the rest of the court proceedings after her testimony and was cautioned that projecting too much confidence might adversely affect her case's outcome. Stacey is shocked by the notion that Becca has to play a certain role to be taken seriously or to be believed. 

After almost three years since reporting, the trial approaches and Becca's nerves become evident, creating a ripple effect throughout her family. Stacey finds out how the legal process has impacted Becca's boyfriend, Joe, and he shares with Stacey his experience of this difficult journey. On the stand, Becca's drama degree is focused on by the defence, in an attempt to cast doubt on her testimony. 

Stacey visits Jessie as her court dates nears. It's two-and-a-half years since she reported to the police. Jessie, too, is confronting her own struggles with the delays. Determined, however, to go through with it, she decides she doesn't want her mum, Michelle, to attend court with her and is dreading facing the defendant. Stacey chats with Michelle, who reflects on the profound changes she's witnessed in her daughter since she reported the rape to the police. 

Jessie and another woman who opted to remain anonymous are testifying against Jessie's ex-boyfriend. Stacey meets up with Lauren, who can only be a witness in the trial, as her case took place in Australia and was dropped for lack of evidence. She tells Stacey she's worried that the court will question her motives in contacting Jessie. 

As the trial unfolds, the defendant denies all allegations, maintaining that his sexual relationships with all three women were consensual. 

Now, almost three years since the women first reported, it's up to the jury.

In Britain, shoplifting is at an all-time high, incidents of violence and abuse against shop staff have skyrocketed, and a third of Brits have admitted to stealing through the self-checkouts. To understand what's causing this high-street epidemic, Stacey is meeting the people behind the crime and spending time on the shop floor with the staff who deal with shoplifting every day. 

In Manchester city centre, beauty and cosmetics chain Bodycare has one of its biggest and most shoplifted stores. Here, Stacey meets the staff at the sharp end of shoplifting, seeing first-hand the impact it has on them, while witnessing near-constant attempted thefts. Stacey sees what staff members Rachel and Dips have to deal with, and manager Dips tells her, 'It's not a victimless crime. Somebody always pays the price for it down the line. And for us, it's the staff in here.' 

Around the corner from the shop, 22-year-old 'Chloe' is window-shopping. She's a recent graduate who regularly steals skincare products and plastic jewellery. She doesn't have much love for the big chains and justifies her actions as a form of protest against corporate greed and unsustainable products. But underneath her activism, Stacey discovers there is more to her shoplifting. 

In another part of Manchester, 22-year-old 'Otto' invites Stacey to his flat, where he's cooking dinner for his friends using stolen tofu and flatbreads. He doesn't have many qualms about stealing through self-service checkouts and believes it's an act of defiance against big corporations and ultimately a victimless crime. 

Not all shoplifting is about wanting nicer things. For 20-year-old mother 'Ellie', who is trying to provide essentials like nappies for her son, stealing is about the struggle to survive. In Ellie, Stacey sees how the cost-of-living crisis may be driving some people to steal out of desperation. 

Away from Manchester, Stacey meets Bruce, who asks her whether she can tell the difference between stolen and bought items. His shoplifting started when he was signed off work sick, but now that he's grown accustomed to getting things for free, his stealing is escalating, and he's finding it hard to kick the habit. 

Stacey heads to Bedfordshire to the private site where 23-year-old Chantelle lives with her husband, Swaley. Chantelle prides herself in keeping with the ‘old' Gypsy values her granny Rita taught her and sharing them on social media, where she's blown up with nearly 400,000 followers on TikTok and 15 million likes on her page. Her chalet is where she films all her ‘Gypsy Cleaning' videos for her loyal fanbase. Chantelle shares her cleaning hacks with Stacey. 

Over two months Stacey, gets to know Chantelle and Swaley, hearing what courting looked like for this young couple, the reaction Chantelle has had to her viral videos and the vital role of family in their lives. 

Eighteen-year-old Serena and her family live in Lincolnshire and welcome Stacey into their bustling family life. Serena explains to Stacey that they've decided to invite her into their home to show people that they are normal. Serena is in the middle of planning her wedding to her fiancé, Marco. He is from a Gypsy and Traveller community too, and Serena wouldn't have it any other way. 

Spending time with Serena's sister Ivana and mum Teresa as they help Serena get organised for the biggest step in a Gypsy girl's life, Stacey learns that this community often chooses to marry within their own, as it enables them to protect the values and traditions they hold dear. 

Serena's been searching high and low for all the things she's going to need to create her new married home. 

Serena gets Stacey mucking out the horses in her stable, where Serena has taken her childhood passion for horse riding to launch her own business buying, breeding and selling horses. The Traveller community has long been associated with horses, but the business is usually left to the men; Serena is breaking the mould at just 18 years old. Stacey is surprised to hear that Serena often feels it's best to keep her ethnicity hidden when she's meeting potential clients, as she fears they may not want to do business with her. 

In Nottinghamshire, Stacey meets a young woman taking a new job in a busy, thriving salon in the ‘gorger' (non-Traveller) world. At an age when many Gypsy and Traveller women may be hoping to get married, 22-year-old Ebony is pushing ahead with her career in beauty. 

Stacey joins her for her first day at the new salon, and Ebony confides in Stacey about the compromises you sometimes have to make to fit into the ‘gorger' world. But, proud of her Gypsy heritage, Ebony has found a salon where she isn't afraid to own who she is. 
 

Stacey Dooley watches clips from previous episodes and reflects on whether her status as a new mother has changed her perspective on the parenting methods she witnessed first-hand.