Post by 🦍MAXX＞ⓤ on Nov 21, 2022 20:42:56 GMT -5
Australian woman speaks out after a man — who she alleges broke into her home, raped her, and sent an apology text for doing 'the most heinous thing possible'— was found not guilty
When Holly Harris woke up, she was freezing. The sliding door in her bedroom was ajar, which puzzled her. She never slept with the door open, especially on a cold, September night in Melbourne, Australia.
As she sat up, she realized she was naked, her hair was matted, and she was in pain. She looked to her left and saw a man lying there. His name way Lyndon Montgomery.
Nearly four years later, on September 7, Montgomery was found not guilty of breaking into Harris' home and raping her.
In her first interview since the tense trial, Harris spoke with Insider about how the case impacted her and why she's decided to identify herself.
Harris' name is not in any of the previous stories about her case because she did not consent to have it published. Under Victorian law, which governs the Australian state in which she lives, it is an offense to publish any information that could lead to the identification of a person against whom a sexual offense is alleged to have been committed but an adult complainant can consent to make their own identity public.
After the verdict, Harris changed her mind about remaining unidentified because she wanted other women who may have gone through something similar to not feel ashamed.
"I just refuse to accept that this is the reality for women and it's devastating for other women who have been raped or allegedly raped," she told Insider.
'I've done the most heinous thing'
On September 23, 2018, Harris went out with friends to a local bar on Chapel Street in Melbourne. Prior to arriving at the bar, she said had quite a few drinks at a friend's boyfriend's place and continued to drink with friends at the bar until she became intoxicated. Her memory after this, she told Insider, isn't as clear.
Upon leaving the bar, friends recounted that she got into an Uber with her best friend, her best friend's boyfriend, and Montgomery — an acquaintance. When Harris arrived outside of her home, she said she remembered getting out of the car, walking to her door, and then noticing Montgomery following her.
She said she asked him what he was doing and he told her he was walking her to her door. According to Harris, after they exchanged a few words — which included him professing his love to her — she said she wasn't interested, said goodbye, and then locked the door behind her.
Harris said her nightly routine always consists of taking a shower before bed, and that's what she said she did on this particular night. At one point, she said she turned around and noticed Montgomery standing in the bathroom. That's when she told him to get out, she said. Harris told Insider her memory is limited after this point but that she remembered Montgomery on top of her in her bed. Later, in court, Montgomery did not dispute that they had sex but testified that it was consensual.
After waking up the next morning disheveled with Montgomery lying next to her, Harris said she asked him to leave, which he did. That morning, she told her friends what happened.
At their urging, Harris went to the hospital later that night but was told she could not be seen. She said the emergency doctor's reasoning was that she was a "crime scene," meaning the medical professionals didn't want to interfere with a potential criminal investigation. At the time she wasn't in the mindset of pressing charges, Harris said, adding she just wanted help because she was in pain.
Four days later she received a text message from Montgomery.
In the text, which was obtained by Insider, he said:"I've done the most heinous thing possible you can do to a woman, and I've done it to you. It was never my intention for things not to be consensual, I should have realized what you were communicating to me, but I didn't."
www.yahoo.com/news/australian-woman-speaks-man-she-231706455.html
When Holly Harris woke up, she was freezing. The sliding door in her bedroom was ajar, which puzzled her. She never slept with the door open, especially on a cold, September night in Melbourne, Australia.
As she sat up, she realized she was naked, her hair was matted, and she was in pain. She looked to her left and saw a man lying there. His name way Lyndon Montgomery.
Nearly four years later, on September 7, Montgomery was found not guilty of breaking into Harris' home and raping her.
In her first interview since the tense trial, Harris spoke with Insider about how the case impacted her and why she's decided to identify herself.
Harris' name is not in any of the previous stories about her case because she did not consent to have it published. Under Victorian law, which governs the Australian state in which she lives, it is an offense to publish any information that could lead to the identification of a person against whom a sexual offense is alleged to have been committed but an adult complainant can consent to make their own identity public.
After the verdict, Harris changed her mind about remaining unidentified because she wanted other women who may have gone through something similar to not feel ashamed.
"I just refuse to accept that this is the reality for women and it's devastating for other women who have been raped or allegedly raped," she told Insider.
'I've done the most heinous thing'
On September 23, 2018, Harris went out with friends to a local bar on Chapel Street in Melbourne. Prior to arriving at the bar, she said had quite a few drinks at a friend's boyfriend's place and continued to drink with friends at the bar until she became intoxicated. Her memory after this, she told Insider, isn't as clear.
Upon leaving the bar, friends recounted that she got into an Uber with her best friend, her best friend's boyfriend, and Montgomery — an acquaintance. When Harris arrived outside of her home, she said she remembered getting out of the car, walking to her door, and then noticing Montgomery following her.
She said she asked him what he was doing and he told her he was walking her to her door. According to Harris, after they exchanged a few words — which included him professing his love to her — she said she wasn't interested, said goodbye, and then locked the door behind her.
Harris said her nightly routine always consists of taking a shower before bed, and that's what she said she did on this particular night. At one point, she said she turned around and noticed Montgomery standing in the bathroom. That's when she told him to get out, she said. Harris told Insider her memory is limited after this point but that she remembered Montgomery on top of her in her bed. Later, in court, Montgomery did not dispute that they had sex but testified that it was consensual.
After waking up the next morning disheveled with Montgomery lying next to her, Harris said she asked him to leave, which he did. That morning, she told her friends what happened.
At their urging, Harris went to the hospital later that night but was told she could not be seen. She said the emergency doctor's reasoning was that she was a "crime scene," meaning the medical professionals didn't want to interfere with a potential criminal investigation. At the time she wasn't in the mindset of pressing charges, Harris said, adding she just wanted help because she was in pain.
Four days later she received a text message from Montgomery.
In the text, which was obtained by Insider, he said:"I've done the most heinous thing possible you can do to a woman, and I've done it to you. It was never my intention for things not to be consensual, I should have realized what you were communicating to me, but I didn't."
www.yahoo.com/news/australian-woman-speaks-man-she-231706455.html
