ITV’s four‑part drama Believe Me, which airs from 10 May, is the true crime story of the legal battle fought by two survivors of serial rapist taxi driver, John Worboys to hold the police accountable for the failures in their investigation which led to well over 100 women being attacked before he was brought to justice. It also tells the story of a third survivor, Carrie Symonds, who backed the two survivors in their successful challenge of the parole board decision to release him. Solicitor Harriet Wistrich, now CEO of Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) worked together with Phillippa Kaufmann KC to bring the two precedent breaking legal cases which have now created a legacy for such future legal cases aimed at holding police and other state bodies accountable .
Believe Me tells the true story of two survivors of Worboys, ‘Sarah’ and ‘Layla’[1] , who brought a legal action against the Met Police arising from multiple failures to conduct an effective investigation into their reports of drug assisted rape. The story follows their journey from being ensnared by Worboys to waking up to discover they had been violated and immediately reporting the crime. It follows the everyday harrowing experience of reporting rape and the procedures most victims have to undergo. It shows their awful treatment by the police whose scepticism blinded them to a dangerous predator left free to continue offending on an industrial scale.
The drama then shows how Sarah and Layla, advised by their lawyers, Harriet Wistrich and Phillippa Kaufman, were able to hold the police accountable by using the Human Rights Act (HRA) and how they had to battle all the way to the Supreme Court to create a legal precedent which now provides a way forward for others failed by the police and other criminal justice agencies. It also follows the judicial review challenge they brought which overturned the parole board decision to release Worboys.
In the drama, Harriet Wistrich is portrayed by Philippa Dunne, with Rachael Stirling playing Phillippa Kaufmann KC.
Harriet Wistrich, CEO of Centre for Women’s Justice, said:
“This drama shows how devastating investigative failures can be, and how important it is that survivors have a way to hold institutions to account when things go wrong. In portraying the courage of the two women, we learn how gruelling the process of reporting rape can be but also how, by standing up for their rights, they have left a lasting legacy.
“The legal precedent of the two cases is relied on by lawyers at CWJ in order to assist hundreds of women navigating the criminal justice system. It also undermines the false narrative that the Human Rights Act and European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is a barrier to protecting women and girls from male violence, on the contrary it is often the only legal tool we have to challenge state institutions who fail them.”
The legal case behind Believe Me, and its wider implications, are also explored in Harriet Wistrich’s book ‘Sister in Law: fighting for justice in a legal system designed by men’, which documents the survivors’ experience and the role of the courts in addressing institutional failure.
Why this story matters now
The series raises timely questions about:
how rape and serious sexual offences are investigated;
what happens when women report and systems fail; and
how accountability can be achieved when basic standards are not met.
At a time when the future of the HRA and the UK’s membership of the ECHR is being debated, Believe Me shows what is at stake when the standards that protect victims of serious violence are weakened. The HRA/ECHR framework plays an important role in setting clear obligations on public authorities, underpinning public confidence and helping to prevent repeat harm.
ENDS
Notes:
[1] - Known as DSD and NBV in the civil claim.
ITV’s four part drama Believe Me will begin on Sunday 10 May at 9pm on ITV1, with further episodes expected on 11, 17 and 18 May.
The drama stars Aimée‑Ffion Edwards, Miriam Petche and Aasiya Shah as the women who reported the assaults, with Daniel Mays portraying John Worboys.