Hertfordshire: Red Kite charity speaks out on officer convictions

Siobhan Nundram, chair of Hertfordshire's Red Kite Support has helped many victims of rape and sexual abuse find a safe space in her charity. 

She has said Red Kite has had a "huge upswing in referrals as a result of the David Carrick case" - a serial rapist and former police officer from Stevenage, who worked for the Metropolitan Police. 

In 2022, Hertfordshire police officer James Ford was found guilty of raping a 13-year-old girl. 

Following a Freedom of Information request, Hertfordshire Constabulary revealed it has had 16 of its own involved in a sexual assault allegation since 2013.

Siobhan said: "All these stories coming out is not surprising.

"This is such a hierarchical institution and male dominated field, so I always felt due diligence was not carried out appropriately because they have such a ‘you scratch me back, I scratch your back’ kind of system in place. 

Siobhan with Abbie McDonagh, one of the Helpline Volunteers who was also a part of the 'What were you wearing' exhibition. (Image: Siobhan Nundram)

"People who saw what happened and were repulsed by it were being squashed.

"Female colleagues that were raped or assaulted have been humiliated and demeaned, and if they complained about it, that was the end of their career.

"So, all the parameters have been in place to keep this kind of news suppressed." 

The charity chair believes these officers have a "hero-syndrome" because they don't believe in their own bravery, so they act this way in their private life so they can use women as their "punching bags" to show off their damaged personalities by using power-play. 

Siobhan added: "It doesn't matter what you are wearing. If someone is set out to rape you, they will rape you. It is a choice. They make the choice to abuse their power and other people make the choice to cover up for them."

Earlier this year, Red Kite set up an art exhibition in the Howard Centre to highlight the clothes people wore when they were raped. Some of the mannequins featured pyjamas, office wear, children's uniforms and everyday wear.

Siobhan Nundram is the chair of Welwyn Garden City charity that helps victims of sexual assault and rape find support. (Image: Siobhan Nundram)

Speaking about victims of sexual abuse and how these high-profile cases might trigger them, Siobhan said: "Of the people who have been victimised, a proportion of them will never recover.  

"While a proportion of that will be people like me who will bounce back and fight, while some might suppress it, but something will trigger the trauma of the abuse. 

"This is why I want to make sure that Red Kite is there for anybody who needs us. We don't want to be passing this on to the next generation. If we are birthing traumatised children, what chance do they have?  

"These people might even start to think, if it was done to me then why shouldn't I do it to someone else? The cycle will continue this way, and we aim to break it." 

Siobhan believes more victims will come forward to the Red Kite charity and beyond, due to the sexual assault cases happening in Hertfordshire. 

She said: "David Carrick was from Stevenage and not all his victims have come forward. Hertfordshire police have stepped up to the plate and they still have a report line open for other victims. 

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"There will be other victims of David Carrick and they will pop-up at some point. Other people who read about him and other cases will reach a point where they can't stand it and they think, 'if the police are actually doing rape, then what chance do the rest of us have?' 

"That is when they consult us." 

Siobhan added that when asked if the victim would like to report their rape or assault to the police, they almost always answer 'no' because of the system. 

"We need a robust system to punish them. It needs to be treated like murder and they should be given life sentences. We can't keep letting them get away," she added.

Red Kite is currently looking for donations to offer long-term therapy and other helpful services. You can donate on redkitesupport.org.uk/.