Rape victim urges others to come forward

A woman who was raped 22 years ago has said she wants other victims to know "they've got nothing to be ashamed of", after her attacker was jailed this week for 12 years.

Naomi Saatchi was 21 and a student nurse when she was attacked by her neighbour David Watson-Williams in St Paul's, Bristol, in 2003.

She decided to report the attack in 2021 and he was jailed on Monday. Ms Saatchi has waived her right to anonymity because she wants people to know that allegations of rape will be taken seriously by Avon and Somerset Police.

Speaking to BBC Bristol, she said: "I feel like I've done the right thing, not just by myself, but for society, to remove this man from society because he is a danger."

Ms Saatchi had been living in a semi-derelict block of flats at the time of the attack, in which she and Watson-Williams were the only occupants, with all the other apartments boarded up.

Watson-Williams, now 43, waited for Ms Saatchi to fall asleep after a night out before breaking into her home and attacking her.

She realised afterwards that due to her hardwood floors, he would have been able to track her footsteps around the flat and would have known when she was asleep from the lack of movement.

During the attack, she pretended to be asleep, fearing what he might do to her if she tried to fight him off.

Ms Saatchi tried to carry on and forget what had happened, but finally decided to report the attack 20 years later after feeling a "responsibility" to see Watson-Williams brought to justice.

She said that from the moment she reported the incident she was believed and supported by officers from Avon and Somerset Police's Project Blue Stone team, which focus on sexual violence.

Investigating officer PC Chris Quick supported her throughout the process, she said.

"I didn't really have to do anything more than report it with the details that I had and then he took it from there," Ms Saatchi said.

At no point was she asked about how much she had drunk or what she had been wearing, she said.

"(PC Quick) said you can even walk down the road completely naked and that the difference between a rapist and a normal member of society is a normal member of society would wrap you in a towel, ring an ambulance or bring a family member to come and collect you and keep you safe," she said.

"A rapist would take advantage of that situation but it doesn't matter what you're wearing, how much you think you've had to drink, no one has the right to attack you in that way."

Ms Saatchi added: "That's what I really want people to know. Lots of people probably haven't reported rape because they've been drunk, so they feel a sense of shame.

"I didn't walk into my flat and rape myself, I've got nothing to be ashamed of."

Watson-Williams, of Stanfield Close in Lockleaze, Bristol, was sentenced to 12 years in prison at Bristol Crown Court on Monday, with an extended licence period of three years.

PC Quick said: "The sentence reflects the seriousness of what happened to her. She was attacked in her own home, where she should be safe, and has been extremely courageous to come forward about the attack which left her feeling vulnerable and living in fear for years.

"We hope this conviction sends out an important message – any acts of violence will never be tolerated, and every victim deserves to be heard and supported, no matter how long ago the attack took place."

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