Jenny Evans' memoir Don't Let It Break You, Honey reveals how press intrusion and police corruption compound trauma for sexual assault survivors.

Evans discovered her confidential police statement appeared in the News of the World four days after reporting her assault. Through investigation with Guardian journalist Nick Davies, she learned the information could only have come from the Metropolitan police.

The memoir details particularly egregious media practices, including what Evans terms "Clause 11" exploitation, where tabloids would "persuade survivors of sexual violence to talk to them on the record and offer them a lot of money," before refusing payment, claiming they didn't believe the survivor's account. This practice left victims publicly exposed and re-traumatised without promised compensation.

"So to see it printed in the tabloid, well, it is the second violation," Evans stated on BBC Woman's Hour interview (July 2024). "Everything I thought I knew and the people I thought I could trust, I didn't think I could anymore."

The press intrusion forced Evans to abandon her criminal case after learning evidence could be used as "bad character evidence" against her. In 2014, the Metropolitan Police apologised to Evans "for the passing of information to the media." Multiple newspapers paid damages, though none accepted liability.

As Evans explains, the current lack of adequate press regulation has a “fundamental flaw: those with power and money can make their problems disappear. The wealthy can pay to keep their secrets buried, ensuring that even those who begin with the strongest resolve to uncover the truth are eventually worn down.”

Evans' case exemplifies why victims need protection from press intrusion and why proper investigation of police-media corruption remains essential. Her transformation from survivor to investigative journalist to legal professional exemplifies the resilience needed to fight institutional corruption. Her case reinforces Hacked Off's call for comprehensive reform of press regulation and proper investigation of police-media corruption.

These revelations underscore the urgent need for the implementation of the Leveson Inquiry's recommendations to prevent such abuses.

Notes: Jenny Evans' memoir Don't Let It Break You, Honey ( Little, Brown Book Group, 2024) is available now. Sources: BBC Woman's Hour (July 2024); Bindmans LLP statement (July 2024).