Why I messaged the man who RAPED ME
WOMAN - UK|February 05, 2024
After a decade living in fear, Lianne La Borde realised forgiveness was the only way to move forward
LIANNE LA BORDE
Why I messaged the man who RAPED ME

I’d glared at sex offenders as they sat hunched in the dock, flanked by guards. I’d stared down serial killer Levi Bellfield, sat close to black cab rapist John Worboys. Unruffled, unfazed, though the harrowing things they’d done chilled me. 

I was a journalist – a court reporter – and I did my job, showing justice in action. Proving these predators, despite being capable of evil, were cowards when caught, and (most) would pay for their savagery with their freedom.

So why couldn’t I face this one? Why, during this particular rape trial in August 2011, was a screen erected to shield me from the man in the dock?

It was because I was afraid. The tables had turned, and now it was my own monster sitting back there. He’d turned me from unflappable court reporter to victim, weeping in the witness box while my worst moment was raked over. And I hated him for it.

I’d spent my teens devouring true-crime books. So in 2007, after studying law and criminology, then journalism, I moved to London to write real-life crime stories for magazines. Soon I was writing court news too, mostly covering rape and murder trials.

Watching defendants in the dock and hearing what they’d done didn’t invoke terror in me. The opposite actually. I became fearless, witnessing what they were reduced to once their secrets were exposed.

So when I left a friend’s house in Hackney late one Friday night in October 2010, aged 26, I didn’t consider if the man chatting to me at the bus stop was a rapist.

Denne historien er fra February 05, 2024-utgaven av WOMAN - UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra February 05, 2024-utgaven av WOMAN - UK.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA WOMAN - UKSe alt
How to avoid a cold when partying
WOMAN - UK

How to avoid a cold when partying

Burning the candle at both ends might seem fun at this time of year, but it can spell disaster for your health and wellbeing...

time-read
2 mins  |
December 16, 2024
ASK US ANYTHING
WOMAN - UK

ASK US ANYTHING

SUZIE HAYMAN AND SUSAN QUILLIAM CAN HELP

time-read
2 mins  |
December 16, 2024
MOWED DOWN after a Christmas party
WOMAN - UK

MOWED DOWN after a Christmas party

Anna-Louise Bates has finally allowed herself to enjoy the festive season again

time-read
4 mins  |
December 16, 2024
A weekend in...VILNIUS
WOMAN - UK

A weekend in...VILNIUS

A dreamy couple of days in Lithuania's captivating city can be easy on the purse

time-read
2 mins  |
December 16, 2024
The letter that SAVE YOUR
WOMAN - UK

The letter that SAVE YOUR

Why do a third of women miss their breast cancer screenings?

time-read
3 mins  |
December 16, 2024
New love in 2025 WOULD BENICE
WOMAN - UK

New love in 2025 WOULD BENICE

Growing up in Bradford, West Yorkshire, to Punjabi Indian parents, Anita Rani says her household ‘didn’t really do Christmas’ – but boy, is she making up for it now!

time-read
4 mins  |
December 16, 2024
'2024 has been DREADFUL'
WOMAN - UK

'2024 has been DREADFUL'

Prince William admits that this year has been the hardest' in his life. Is blood thicker than water in times of need

time-read
3 mins  |
December 16, 2024
The dark side to your CHRISTMAS NIGHT OUT
WOMAN - UK

The dark side to your CHRISTMAS NIGHT OUT

Do you know what’s in your glass this party season?

time-read
4 mins  |
December 02, 2024
IS THERE ANYTHING MORE NOSTALGIC THAN CHRISTMASES PAST?
WOMAN - UK

IS THERE ANYTHING MORE NOSTALGIC THAN CHRISTMASES PAST?

Do you remember the anticipation before the big day, pondering endlessly about what should go on your Christmas list? I would lovingly write two or three things down, pop it into an envelope and leave it by the fireplace to be wafted up the chimney like something out of Mary Poppins.

time-read
1 min  |
December 02, 2024
The Christmas that CHANGED OUR LIVES
WOMAN - UK

The Christmas that CHANGED OUR LIVES

We speak to three women about their most wonderful time of year

time-read
4 mins  |
December 02, 2024