‘I forgive her,’ says man cleared of rape

Saturday 31st March 2007, 12:00AM BST.

THE Jerseyman who was acquitted of rape in the UK this week says he still believes alleged victims of sex attacks should have their identities protected.

Ben Brée (25) has spoken to the JEP about his nightmare year during which he was convicted of raping a woman in Bournemouth and sentenced to five years. But despite being cleared on appeal this week, he says he can forgive the woman for wrongly accusing him and still believes in protecting victims’ identities so that they can be encouraged to go to the police. Mr Brée lost his job and his home as a result of the allegation and he will have to live with the stigma for the rest of his life, despite being cleared. But he says he does not want to make all victims pay for his suffering and has publicly called for anonymity to continue to be guaranteed to anyone who complains that they have been sexually assaulted.

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