Help Nina Cresswell stop the police failing women

Content warning: sexual assault

In 2010, Nina Cresswell did what every survivor is told to do: she went to the police and reported a sexual assault. She expected to be heard, believed, and properly supported. But within a few hours they said it wasn’t a crime.

Ten years later, she took matters into her own hands and spoke out – naming the man who attacked her so he wouldn’t attack other women. He sued her for defamation, dragging her into a three-year legal battle. With support from Good Law Project, she fought back – and won. 

Even though the police didn’t listen, the judge found Nina was telling the truth about the attack. Her landmark victory set a clear precedent: survivors speaking out cannot be silenced.

But it came at a terrible cost. For three years the case took over Nina’s life, forcing her to close her business and pushing her to the brink.

And none of this would have happened if the police officers she spoke to that night had done their job.

Now, she’s taking the next step – holding Northumbria Police to account for the suffering it caused by basically ignoring her.

With your support, we’re bringing a claim against her local police force, to fight for the justice she deserves, and so the system doesn’t let down the survivors it’s supposed to protect.

Nina had to take on the man who assaulted her, despite the cost, to protect herself and other women. But it shouldn’t have to be this way.

“I’ve spent years just trying to survive,” she says, “when I should have been building a life. I hope this case can stop other women who go to the police experiencing the same shocking treatment.”

It’s time the police stop failing survivors.

It’s time to believe women who are brave enough to speak out.