The Man Who Donned A Wig And A Black Dress To Sexually Assault A University Student

On Friday 3^rd July 2020, a dangerous sexual predator was found guilty of sexual assault by penetration against an Islington university student whilst wearing a wig and black minidress. This case was one of many sexual assaults to take place in the last 12 months.

The case

In September 2019, Mark Brown was captured on CCTV dashing out of his flat whilst dressing himself in a long, silver wig and a black minidress. It would be revealed the reason for his haste was to pursue an 18-year-old girl who had jogged past his window.

After stalking the student for around 500m to her own doorstep, Brown placed a hand on her unsuspecting shoulder. Before she could turn around to face him,  he proceeded to sexually assault her, pushing her to the floor as she kicked and screamed. As Brown fled the scene, the girl noted seeing the silver hair he had donned to assault her disappearing in the distance.

When shown the chilling CCTV footage by police, Brown denied his involvement and claimed the perpetrator was a woman. Further questioning about the wig led to Brown arguing that although he had bought the wig he had ‘[thrown] it out ages ago’. However, during a police search of his home, the silver wig was found in a Tesco bag along with a black leather jacket that had latex gloves in the pockets[1].

Detective Constable Giash Uddin described Brown as a dangerous sexual predator who had committed a heinous crime of sexual assault by penetration and praised the survivor of the attack for her courage and cooperation throughout the investigation.

Brown was convicted of his crime of sexual assault by penetration, which will contribute to his other seven counts of sexual touching and his place on the Sex Offender’s Register[2].

The issue

Unfortunately, attacks such as sexual assault by penetration are not uncommon. It has been indicated that 2.9% of adults aged 16-59 were victims of sexual assault in the last year[3].

Sexual assault is described in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 as someone sexually touching another person without consent where it could not reasonably be believed that consent was given[4].

Therefore as a definition, sexual assault can include other sexual offences, such as rape and sexual assault by penetration. Conversely, it can also be a part of other offences, like domestic abuse and human trafficking[5].

The offence and the 2020 pandemic

As with other offences like domestic abuse[6], the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent imposed lockdowns have impacted sexual assault cases. For instance, although the volume of rape cases charged by the CPS decreased by 3.2%, the number of reported rape cases increased by 15%, alongside an increase of 8% in domestic abuse cases. According to the CPS, these figures reflect a backlog in the court system and the impact of social distancing measures[7].

As nations depended more on essential services, key workers in these areas were also more prone to sexual assaults. In the UK alone there was nearly an 8% increase in sexual attacks on ambulance workers between January and July 2020[8].

Moreover, unlike in the case of Mark Brown where he was a stranger to his victim, the pandemic has highlighted the prevalence of sexual assaults where victims know their perpetrator. Prior to the pandemic the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network stated 33% of reported sexual assault cases are committed by someone the victim knows.

However, lockdowns and fears of exposure to Covid-19 have increased the access intimate perpetrators have to their victims and places victims at higher risk[9]. The effects of this are already being documented, for example the NSPCC has recently reported a threefold increase in the number of Childline counselling sessions regarding child sexual abuse since March 2020[10].

The offence and you

Regardless of the pandemic, if you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault by penetration or another form of sexual attack, you may be eligible to claim for compensation via the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICA).

This government-funded scheme aims to compensate victims of violent crimes as a reflection of their trauma and tribulation at the hand of their perpetrators.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

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Sources:

[1] Man wearing silver wig guilty of north London sex attack | The Crown Prosecution Service (cps.gov.uk)

[2] London sexual predator, 30, donned wig and black dress to assault teenage girl | Daily Mail Online

[3] Crime in England and Wales – Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

[4] Sexual Offences Act 2003 (legislation.gov.uk)

[5] Sexual violence overview | Rape Crisis England & Wales

[6] Domestic Violence More Than Doubled Under Lockdowns, New Study Finds – Dr. Rich Swier

[7] Rape prosecutions and convictions dropped by half early in UK pandemic | Society | The Guardian

[8] Coronavirus: Hundreds of violent attacks on ambulance workers during COVID-19 crisis | UK News | Sky News

[9] Jackson Health article

[10] NSPCC Article