After decades of silence about a sexual assault, speaking out is helping this woman heal
Sue Lawson says she was raped by an acquaintance in 1994 while she was a student at Western University
For nearly two decades, Sue Lawson didn't tell a soul about what she says happened to her in 1994 after a night out with friends in London.
"It was very dark. I was very alone," said Lawson, now 49 and living in Quebec. "I was very lost."
Lawson was in second year university at Western University, studying kinesiology, when she says a friend of her roommate raped her. She kept silent for 17 years, when she finally told her husband.
"It was a relief, a feeling of no longer being alone. I felt I had the love and support beside me all the way," Lawson said. "I had someone standing in front of me, beside me and behind me, and that kept me alive and kept me going."
It's been a long road.
Man found not guilty
Her first marriage broke up in part because she couldn't talk about what was troubling her, Lawson said.
After telling her second husband and a select few family members, she stayed silent again until waking up one day and thinking, "I have to go to the police. I have to report it," Lawson said. "I had buried it for so long and one day I just knew." That was five years ago.
Police eventually charged a man, but the pandemic slowed down the court process. After a two-day trial at the beginning of February, the man was found not guilty of sexual assault on Tuesday. The judge said he believed Lawson, but couldn't find the man guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Determined to tell her story, Lawson successfully applied to have the usual ban on naming victims of sexual assault lifted so she could step forward.
"I lost the case but I am moving forward and I'm here to help others," Lawson said. "Every little win along the way was very valuable and very important and helped me grow and move along, move on with my life."
'I felt believed'
Lawson wants other survivors to know that healing is possible, and that reporting a sexual assault can be a positive experience.
"The London police were absolutely the most incredible people I could have every worked with," she said. "The moment I spoke to them, I felt believed. I felt cared for, loved even. I was made comfortable and I was respected."
Detectives referred her to Anova, the London agency that helps victims of gender-based violence. The team there, Lawson said, allowed her to move forward. "They held my hand every step of the way. They helped me get therapy, they helped me with how to get through the court system, and they are still with me. I'm finished the trial and I'm still being taken care of by them."
Now, Lawson wants to advocate for other survivors of sexual violence, to spread the message that healing is possible.
"I've learned a lot through this process but the biggest thing is the courage I have. I didn't know I had the strength and courage to step forward and go through the process, the ups and downs, but there are so many people out there that love me and trust me and believe me, and that is the most powerful feeling," she said.
Those who want to contact Lawson can send an email to [email protected].
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