A dramatisation of the harrowing 2018 Belfast Rape Trial is set to be made.
The six-episode TV series titled titled #IBelieveHer has received a production budget of over €9 million.
The show will be produced by Mary McGuckian, an award-winning director best known for her 2007 Hollywood film Intervention.
The Belfast Rape Trial began in 2018 when a 19-year-old girl accused three Ulster rugby players of the most heinous crimes.
The young woman accused Paddy Jackson of rape, Stuart Olding of sexual assault and Blane McIlroy of exposure.
A fourth man Rory Harrison was also accused of concealing evidence and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The invasive trial which took place over nine weeks saw the young woman extensively cross-examined by four sets of barristers, all men and even had her bloody underwear shown to the jury.
The “not guilty” verdict which was given by jurors on the 28th of March 2018 sparked national uproar.
Marches condemning the verdict took place all of the country with many using the phrase “I believe her” to show their support for the unnammed woman.
The Belfast rape trial was the catalyst for huge disgust and anger towards the treatment of victims of sexual violence.
Aside from the verdict, the people of Ireland were furious about the blurred definitions of consent and constant victim-blaming that occurred in the court of law and in society.
In Northern Ireland, this trial led to the Gillen Review and the implementation of new anonymity laws excluding the public from Crown Court rape trials.
In the Republic, it kickstarted the O’Malley Review, which introduced procedural changes that have improved the protection and support provided to those who have suffered an act of sexual violence.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Dr Susan Leahy, a senior lecturer in law at the University of Limerick, said that the O’Malley Review delivered “important” reforms, but stressed that further change is needed.
She argued that rape trials could be improved if judges were obliged to read out a pre-set, “non-prejudicial” text to jurors to combat “potential prejudices or stereotypical attitudes”.
“So it doesn’t matter, if the people are known to each other beforehand or whether someone was drinking a lot at the time… Things like this could be explained in a nuanced way,” Dr Susan explained.
In a statement read out by Stuart Olding, one of the accused’s solicitor, he apologised for the events that occured “that night.”
Speaking on his behalf, solicitor Paul Dougan said: “I am very relieved that the jury has accepted my explanation as to what occurred.”
“I want to acknowledge publicly that though I committed no criminal offence on the evening of the 28th of June 2016, I regret deeply the events of that evening.”
“I want to acknowledge that the complainant came to court and gave evidence about her perception of those events.”
“I am sorry for the hurt that was caused to the complainant.vIt was never my intention to cause any upset to anyone on that night.”
“I don’t agree with her perception of events, and I maintain that everything that happened that evening was consensual.”
Paddy Jackson, who now plays for the French team Lyon, also issued an apology for the night in question and the Whatsapp messages that were released during the trial, which infamously referred to a group of women as “Belfast sluts”.
The rugby player said he would “always regret” the events that took place at a party at his home in June 2016.
He added: “I am ashamed that a young woman who was a visitor to my home left in a distressed state. This was never my intention and I will always regret the events of that evening,”
“The criticism of my behaviour is fully justified and I know I have betrayed the values of my family and those of the wider public.”
“Following the trial I have taken time to reflect with my family on the values that were such an integral part of my upbringing, the most important of which is respect.”
The promotional material for the new series has been seen by the Irish Independent which has described the show as a “courtroom drama based on trial transcripts and public domain reports”.
The publication claims the show will “challenge our perceptions of the Belfast rugby rape trial” and will explore “the entire spectrum of rape myth culture, as we follow the complainant’s journey through the criminal justice system”.
Kirsten Sheridan, famous director and daughter of renowned filmmaker Jim Sheridan, had initally agreed to direct the series, but has since reportedly decided to step back from the project.
The series is scheduled for completion next year.
If you have been affected by any of the details of this story, you can reach out to Women’s Aid Ireland for support.
Call 1800 341 900 or visit womensaid.ie.
