Gail Sherwood is innocent! Prosecute rapists not victims!
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Author:
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Send To:
The Home Secretary
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Sponsored By:
Women Against Rape -
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- On 4 March, Gail Sherwood, a 52-year-old mother of three from Gloucestershire who reported being stalked and raped by a stranger, was jailed for two years for making false allegations.
- No believable explanation was given for why this respected woman would endanger her family by lying to the police.
- Over 70 people who have known her for years, as well as Women Against Rape, protested her innocence. Why imprison a mother who poses no danger to anyone? Why deprive her children of her love and care?
- Soon after being jailed Mrs Sherwood suffered a stroke, having been denied her high blood pressure medication.
- Many victims are disbelieved by police paid to investigate the crime against them. Women who reported serial attackers Worboys & Reid were also dismissed.
- Rape investigations are often under-resourced, biased & incompetent. But over 100,000 was spent on Mrs Sherwoods six-week trial. Police ignored CCTV evidence of a stranger on her driveway, and lost the knife likely to have the rapists DNA.
- Police said they prosecuted Mrs Sherwood to make women feel safe. But Gloucestershire women are alarmed that a rapist remains free to attack others.
- Over 90\% of reported rapes go unpunished. Its extremely hard for traumatised victims to report rape. They report to do the right thing and protect other women. But many are failed by the authorities.
- If rape victims risk not only disbelief but prison, fewer will report and more rapists will be free to rape again.
We demand that:
- Gail Sherwood must be released & reunited with her family.
- The police must reopen the investigation to bring the stalker/rapist to justice.
- Resources must go into catching rapists, not into prosecuting women and girls who report rape.
- No believable explanation was given for why this respected woman would endanger her family by lying to the police.
- Over 70 people who have known her for years, as well as Women Against Rape, protested her innocence. Why imprison a mother who poses no danger to anyone? Why deprive her children of her love and care?
- Soon after being jailed Mrs Sherwood suffered a stroke, having been denied her high blood pressure medication.
- Many victims are disbelieved by police paid to investigate the crime against them. Women who reported serial attackers Worboys & Reid were also dismissed.
- Rape investigations are often under-resourced, biased & incompetent. But over 100,000 was spent on Mrs Sherwoods six-week trial. Police ignored CCTV evidence of a stranger on her driveway, and lost the knife likely to have the rapists DNA.
- Police said they prosecuted Mrs Sherwood to make women feel safe. But Gloucestershire women are alarmed that a rapist remains free to attack others.
- Over 90\% of reported rapes go unpunished. Its extremely hard for traumatised victims to report rape. They report to do the right thing and protect other women. But many are failed by the authorities.
- If rape victims risk not only disbelief but prison, fewer will report and more rapists will be free to rape again.
We demand that:
- Gail Sherwood must be released & reunited with her family.
- The police must reopen the investigation to bring the stalker/rapist to justice.
- Resources must go into catching rapists, not into prosecuting women and girls who report rape.
787 Signatures
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Jennifer Betteridge
- Comments
- As a campaigner for Women Against Rape I am truly appalled that Gail Sherwood has been sentenced to two years in prison for making false allegations of rape. We have been supporting her for eighteen months and will continue to fight to ensure that her innocence is proved.
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nalini Bharania
- Comments
- If police had spent half the funds which they used to create evidence against Mrs Sherwood, then they would have found the rapist who is still free. This is disgrace in this so-called progressive country!!!
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Nina Lopez
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Dawn Pratt
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Andrea Kennard
- Comments
- I am appalled by this state of affairs. There is a war against women, it seems, which is being backed by far too many.
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David Betteridge
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Claire Glasman
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Deborah Sampson
- Comments
- Gail Sherwood survived rape and being stalked
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Lizzie
- Comments
- It is outrageous that an innocent woman has been sentenced to prison for standing up for justice.
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errol wright
- Comments
- lets hope our politicans have the drive and deterination to make a change on such an important issue
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Vuilleumier
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Gemma mac mahon
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sara bates
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charlotte betteridge
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Rose Wray-Brown
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Donna Hollyomes
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danielle highland
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Lynsey Pratt
- Comments
- I have read newspaper articles about this case also and am disgusted at the attitudes and incompatency of the police. Where is this rapist now? I would be terrified to be a woman in the Gloucester area.
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Sarah Bale
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neha
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charlotte blake
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jade
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Gerard Robert Young Sylianteng
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Georgia Barrett
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laura smith
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Jess
- Comments
- doesnt suprise me, police these days might aswell not even exsist. They are rubbish!
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Monika Mosquera
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Chloe Kunz
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Katrina Betteridge
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Poppy Greenman
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Karin Oleinikova
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David Ives
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Elizabeth Kennedy
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John Stapleton
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Madeleine Grand
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Kate Moreton
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John Spashett
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beesan
- Comments
- justice needed immediately
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jasmine little
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Kate Coughlan
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Naomi Ralph
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Julia Wood
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Lucy Mason
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Eva Davidson
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Daniel Connell
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Fiona Wright
- Comments
- В
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Ella Amy
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Amanda Leduc
- Comments
- В
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Jade Till
- Comments
- Gail is definately innocent and I do hope that she recovers from her stroke. I have heard that she wasn't being given her correct medicine whilst in Prison which is a violation of Human Rights yet alone surely depriving someone of there medication is torture and cure.
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Hope Fraser
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787
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