THE ex-wife of rugby star Danny Cipriani has revealed she was sexually assaulted by two men when she was just 12.
Victoria Rose has spoken out about her devastating experience and explained why she believes the justice system must be fair to everyone.
She said she believed Russell Brand’s sentence was too long, but insisted her comments are not about defending the comedian, but about the dangers of a potential miscarriage of justice.
In a passionate statement shared on her Instagram account, Victoria revealed that she knows first-hand what it feels like to be failed by the legal system, despite what she says was CCTV footage capturing the assault.
She said: “When I was 12 years old, I was assaulted by two men. There was actual CCTV footage of the assault.
“The case went to court, and both men were acquitted.
“So believe me, I know firsthand what it’s like to be failed by the justice system, even when there is factual, recorded evidence of what happened.
“So please don’t mistake my opinion for a lack of understanding or compassion for victims. I’ve been one.”
Victoria went on to explain that her concerns about the Brand case centre on the difficulties of testing evidence many years after alleged incidents took place.
She questioned how investigators could expect to piece together events from nearly two decades ago, arguing that memories fade and defendants can face enormous difficulties defending themselves after so much time has passed.
In a strongly worded post, she pointed to the scale of the police investigation, claiming officers interviewed more than 100 witnesses, took over 400 statements and examined more than 1,400 documents.
She questioned why similar resources were not available to ordinary people reporting more recent crimes.
Victoria stressed: “I’m NOT saying he’s innocent. I’m NOT saying these women are lying.
“I’m saying someone’s freedom shouldn’t rest this heavily on what people remember from two decades ago.”
She also sparked debate by sharing a deeply personal reflection on sexual regret, admitting there were experiences in her own past that she now looks back on differently.
She said: “There are things I’ve done sexually that I look back on and think, FLIPPPPPP, I wish I hadn’t. I said yes, I went along with it, and I regret it now.
“That doesn’t give me the right to turn a consensual experience into a crime. I own my choices. REGRET ISN’T ASSAULT.”
Victoria argued that men who have had what she described as wild or questionable nights in their past could be left worrying about how they might defend themselves against allegations made many years later.
She even suggested the country should consider introducing a 12-month reporting limit for sexual offences – a controversial proposal likely to provoke fierce debate.
She said: “This isn’t about defending Russell Brand. It’s about wanting a system that works for everyone, where nobody loses their freedom without the evidence – REAL EVIDENCE – being properly tested.”
Returning to her own traumatic experience, Victoria insisted she had every right to question how the justice system assesses evidence.
She added: “I’m questioning how our justice system operates, how evidence is assessed and how it can arrive at such vastly different outcomes.
“Because I’ve personally experienced a system where even video evidence wasn’t enough to secure a conviction.
“I think I’ve earned the right to question that.”
Concluding her statement, Victoria said she hoped Brand would receive a fair appeal, adding: “What the f** is this world coming to?”