Letter: Police help for a raped prostitute

JASON BENNETTO'S story of Toni ('CPS accused of ignoring rape against prostitutes', 25 July) is no doubt true. If a prostitute is raped it may not always be treated as seriously as rape of a housewife, but this it is not always so.

In 1989, when I was working as a prostitute to pay for my heroin addiction, I was raped and beaten up by a client. I informed the police immediately, and was treated impeccably at Bristol's Trinity Road police station. It was I, not the police who expressed doubts about a successful prosecution.

When the rapist pleaded 'not guilty' in court the police reassured me that as long as I told the truth everything would be OK. At the time I was at a rehabilitation centre and no longer a prostitute. This did not diminish the horrendous accusations put to me by the defence counsel. Despite that, the rapist was convicted and given an eight-year sentence. Women need to know that such prosecutions can be successful.

Name withheld

Bristol