Army specialist in England upset over dismissal of her rape claim

Army specialist in England upset over dismissal of her rape claim
By Sean Kimmons, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, November 11, 2007


When Army Spc. Ashley Miller found out that the man who allegedly raped her would not be prosecuted in a military court, she said she couldn’t help but relive the May night when, after some drinks at the RAF Menwith Hill club, she was attacked in her on-base dorm.

“I felt like I was being raped all over again,” the 24-year old recently wrote in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes.

A staff judge advocate officer at Menwith Hill, an intelligence-gathering airbase in Yorkshire, England, said Miller’s rape accusation was investigated and later dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

The exact circumstances of the case remain unclear, as authorities would not discuss investigation specifics.

“The case was closed Aug. 24 after the extensive investigation did not turn up enough evidence to prosecute a case,” Capt. Ryan Oakley, 421st Air Base Group’s deputy staff judge advocate, wrote in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes. “We take every case seriously, thoroughly investigating all angles of a case.”

Miller said she was so distressed about her alleged rape on May 17 that she couldn’t even acknowledge it to herself. She now regrets waiting two days to report the attack to a military doctor.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=50193



uhc comment: The article also provides tips to preserve evidence.

Remember this after an assault

* Immediately report any assault to the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC)
* Never hesitate to get help
* Do not bathe or clean up
* Do not change your clothes
* Do not brush your teeth or use mouthwash
* Do not use the bathroom, but if you must, save your urine for testing
* Do not eat or drink anything
* Do not take or apply any type of medication to any injuries
* Do not disturb or clean up the crime scene

Information provided by RAF Mildenhall’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office