University called student who wrote viral essay about her alleged rape a ‘liar’

The student claimed that the Dean handling her case at the University of Richmond told her it was ‘reasonable’ that the perpetrator would penetrate her for a few more minutes so he ‘could finish’

The rape case comes shortly after the news of Brock Turner caused widespread protests (AP)

A student whose essay on her alleged rape went viral has been branded a liar by her university.

University of Richmond student Cecilia Carreras, who chose to identify herself for an essay on her alleged assault in The Huffington Post, said she was raped by a student athlete at an off-campus house in July 2015.

In an email to the entire campus, the Virginia university responded that many of her “assertions of fact are inaccurate and do not reflect the manner in which reports of sexual misconduct have been investigated and adjudicated at the university.”

Citing privacy laws, the university said it could not specify which details they believed were false.

Ms Carreras responded in another Huffington Post blog that all she wanted was an apology, but was instead called a “liar”.

She has released transcripts of an audio recording of a meeting between her and the Dean, as well as texts from the alleged perpetrator after he was told not to contact her, and emails from the Dean admitting that the alleged perpetrator changed his story multiple times.

The evidence will be used for her Title IX complaint with the US Department of Education.

The university is already under investigation from the department amid a nationwide probe into the epidemic of sexual assault on American campuses, where one in five women will face assault during their time as a student.

“Do you think that by calling one of your own survivors a liar, that that would really encourage students to report?” Ms Carreras wrote.

“You say we should all support each other, through our words and actions, yet you failed me when I reported and, now that I’m speaking out publicly, you thought calling me a liar was appropriate. You all should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Ms Carreras' first essay was titled: “There’s a Brock Turner in all of o(UR) lives”, referring to the Stanford swimmer who was released from jail last week after serving just three months for three counts of sexual assault against an unconscious woman behind a dumpster.

At the University of Richmond, Ms Carreras' alleged rapist was put on “restricted access” in July, meaning he could still show up for classes and athletic events.

Ms Carreras met with the Dean who was handling her report, Dan Fabian, in September. He told her that her case would not be moving forward, despite claiming that the sexual intercourse had not been consensual.

Mr Fabian allegedly said that he thought it was “reasonable for (the accused student) to penetrate you for a few more minutes if he was going to finish”.

She said she told her perpetrator to “stop” three times, which he allegedly admitted to and then later denied.

“Even though he admitted to raping me, he still gets to put on his uniform and represent us on a national scale. That’s problematic,” she wrote.

Ms Carreras later saw the athlete several times around campus, which violated the no-contact order.

His friends contacted her to find out whether she would show up at events to let him know whether or not he could go, and his athletic coach said he hoped for a positive outcome in the case.

Mr Fabian said in an email on 10 March that he “found no evidence that would lead me to charge (the student) for a violation of the no-contact order. ... I have determined that all four sightings were unintentional and incidental and did not violate the applicable no-contact orders.”

The university could not be reached immediately for comment.

University administrators allegedly said that the athletics department was “breathing down their neck”, suggesting the sports department was wielding influence over the case. The alleged perpetrator was allowed to remain on his team during and after the investigation.

A July 2014 report, released by democratic senator Claire McCaskill, found that 20 per cent of academic institutions allowed their athletic departments to oversee sexual assault cases. New guidelines from the National Collegiate Athletic Association, issued that year, which warned against athletics’ involvement in such cases, are not enforceable rules.

Almost 2,500 people have signed a petition to create a sexual assault response and prevention centre on the campus.