127. Derrick Hurley & Kaitlin Hurley-Fields; Part 3: Holding Nothing Back—The Story of Kaitlin's Rape

This is the opening paragraph from Derrick Hurley's website about his book, Antiguan Justice: A Father's Fight. This passage is both powerful and important, and it deserves special attention because it highlights not only a family's painful struggle to survive the trauma of Kaitlin's horrific rape but also the incredible lengths a devoted father will go to in his pursuit of justice for his daughter. Derrick Hurley's life was forever changed when his daughter, Kaitlin Hurley, became the victim of a brutal crime in 2015. A nursing student living in Antigua, Kaitlin suffered a traumatic assault at the hands of a London police officer, Lee Martin-Cramp, who was visiting the island with his family. In his gripping and emotionally raw 220-page book, Antiguan Justice: A Father's Fight, Derrick Hurley lays bare his anguish, determination, and relentless fight for justice. Through his deeply personal account, he takes readers on an extraordinary journey—one that no parent ever imagines they will have to face—demonstrating the unwavering strength of a father's love in the face of unimaginable adversity.(https://derrick-hurley.com/) Being a witness in criminal court isn't easy. Especially if you're the "victim" witness testifying from the stand against the perpetrator who viciously and painfully drug raped you, and who is sitting within just a few feet in away from you as you testify. It's not just "not easy;" it can be terrifying. In this week's episode, Kaitlin Hurley describes how she found herself in that very situation, realizing that the actuality of being in court is nothing like you've seen on television…which is all Kaitlin knew about what court was like. No, there's not a whole lot that's even close to similar when it comes to comparing reality with tv drama. And, what made this even more unfamiliar was the fact that it was an Antiguan court room, where the setting for this reality was not familiar at all. The prosecutor's table, the defense table, where the jury sits, and the witness "box," are all quite different from an American courtroom. It's hard to imagine the anxiety and fear a victim giving testimony might feel. Listen as Kaitlin tells what her experience was. And hear, too, the emotional description from Kaitlin's father, Derrick. This is Part 3 of the 4-part series of my interview with Kaitlin Hurley-Fields and her father, Derrick Hurley. It's never "easy" to listen to an account of rape or sexual assault. But it's necessary as a caring aspect of a community coming together to be supportive of the survivors of these horrific stories, and to help bring justice to them, and to normalizing the conversation in order to help reduce the prevalence of rape and sexual assault in the rape culture in which we are enveloped. Thank you for being a SASS listener. Please subscribe to the show, then give it a five-star rating. This helps in the grand scheme of algorithms to increase the opportunity of more people to know about and listen to this important and powerful podcast. I hope you will also do your part to bring justice to victims and survivors of rape and sexual assault. You can do that by sharing this episode with others, and that when you listen to others tell their story of rape or sexual assault, you'll Start by Believing. Also, please follow the Instagram page of sexualassaultsurvivorstories. It also helps the show grow, which is what I hope to accomplish to help lessen the prevalence of rape and sexual assault, as well as the prevalence of rape culture that surrounds us all. It only takes a minute, and I truly appreciate your support. And as always, listed below are some additional important and meaningful websites I hope you'll take a look at and learn more about. You'll also notice in this episode that there are ads placed at the beginning, middle, and end of the episode to help bring attention to Arci Grey's Survivor School, an organization in which I play a part as both a Masterclass Presenter, and as a member of the Survivor School advisory panel. There's nothing like this phenomenally innovative approach to healing from trauma and becoming un-stuck. To join Survivor School, please use this link: https://www.survivor-school.com/?ref=DAVEMARKEL Thanks again for listening! https://www.survivor-school.com/?ref=DAVEMARKEL www.arcigrey.com https://thejanbrobergfoundation.org https://www.napanews.org/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/invisible-no-more-lady-veterans-stories-of-military/id1754061590 https://startbybelieving.org https://evawintl.org/ https://safeinharmsway.org dave@sasstories.com