1 March 2026
This month marks the 40th anniversary of the attack on Ealing vicarage that shocked Britain and changed the national conversation about rape. To coincide with that anniversary – and in the days leading up to International Women’s Day on 8 March — “Rape My Story” by Jill Saward has been republished in a new edition featuring a foreword and afterword by her widower, Gavin Drake.
On 6 March 1986, 21-year-old Jill Saward was raped during a violent burglary at the west London vicarage where she lived with her family. Her father, the Rev Michael Saward, and her then boyfriend were also assaulted during the attack.
The crime and the subsequent sentencing of the offenders prompted widespread public outrage — particularly over sentences that many considered unduly lenient. The fact that longer sentences were imposed for burglary than for rape led many to argue that the law appeared to place greater importance on property than on people.
The national reaction contributed to significant legal and cultural change. In the years that followed, reforms included strengthened protections for victims’ anonymity and the introduction of the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, allowing certain Crown Court sentences to be referred to the Court of Appeal for review. The case became a reference point in debates about the treatment of rape survivors within the justice system.
First published in 1990, “Rape My Story” is Jill Saward’s own account of the attack and its aftermath – written with candour, faith and courage. She later waived her anonymity and became one of the UK’s most prominent campaigners against sexual violence, training thousands of police officers and speaking widely about rape myths and justice reform.
Jill Saward died unexpectedly in January 2017, aged 51, following a catastrophic stroke. This new edition preserves her original text in full, with a new foreword and afterword reflecting on the decades of advocacy that followed publication and on the legacy she leaves. Published by CrossWire Books, an imprint of Church Street Bureau Ltd, the new edition is now available in paperback (£10.99) and ebook (6.99) formats, including Kindle.
Buy “Rape My Story” from Amazon or wherever you buy your books and ebooks.