Ellie Wilson
@ellieokwilson
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Survivor & campaigner | Justice reformer ⚖️ | ‘Pain can either be your prison or your platform’ | UofG world changing alumni | Speaker, writer, & consultant ✍🏽
Joined October 2011
I’ve had people ask why I’m speaking out, and my answer is this: I have so much pain that I will never be able to get rid of, and so I am choosing to channel it. I intend to use that pain to drive change, and if I can help even one person, then that’s enough.
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I was raped in my own home on a New Year’s Eve. Since my rapist was found guilty in 2023, I’ve tried to reframe New Year positively. I can’t bring myself to celebrate it at home, so every year I travel to a different city. I’ve done Riga and Brussels, and this year I’m in London!
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It’s been two years since I waived my media anonymity following my rape case. I was sick of hearing about that “promising young man” and not THIS promising young woman. HE was the “talented athlete” whose medical career was ruined, I was just “victim”… I needed to reclaim me.
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I am the woman who took my rapist to court and won. I am the woman who took action against my rapist’s lawyer for traumatising me in court and won. I am the woman who is now going to receive compensation from said lawyer for what he did. The lesson: don’t underestimate women 👊🏽
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I was raped by my ex-partner. Just like Gisèle, I waived my anonymity after he was found guilty to shift the narrative and reject shame. It came with consequences. Horrific trolling, harassment, and abuse. We should never, ever underestimate the bravery of Gisele’s decision.
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When I first reported my rape, my phone was seized and held in evidence. Now, after almost 4 YEARS, it has been finally returned to me. When people ask why women don’t report, this here is one reason why.
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A reminder that it’s rape even if he’s your favourite athlete. It’s rape even if he’s a famous celebrity. It’s rape even if he’s talented. It’s rape even if you found him inspirational. Stop excusing the actions of abusive men just because you admire them.
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My rapist said it was I who “brought out the monster in him”. Other men who’ve been inappropriate said it’s because I’m “too tempting”. Even at school a teacher said my smile was “too seductive”. How about we stop blaming women’s beauty and recognise misogyny as the problem?.
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At 21, I almost died from a suicide attempt. I was being abused by my then-boyfriend, and I didn’t know how to carry on. He made both me and my life feel worthless. Today, I’m turning 27 while drinking champagne in Paris while he rots in prison for what he did. Cheers to that 🥂
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After my rapist was found guilty, I was told by his defence that he simply “fell in love with the wrong person”. He wanted to shame me. Instead, I waived my anonymity, campaigned for change, took action against him AND won compensation. They shame us exactly because they fear us.
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A jury read these messages from my rapist and still not everyone on that jury believed me. Even with watertight evidence women are not believed. This is the climate we live in, and yet we still ask “why didn’t she report”?
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In 2022 my rapist was convicted, but his lawyer left me traumatised. Amidst the pain, I found my power and built a case against that lawyer by myself. And won. A few months ago, I returned to Glasgow’s High Court to take this photo. It used to scare me, but not any more.
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I think part of the reason so many men are loving these fake images of Taylor Swift being sexually assaulted is because it’s the humiliation and degradation of a strong and powerful woman that does it for them. They want to see her “put in her place”.
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I fought the law and I WON! After being subjected to a humiliating ordeal in court by my rapist’s defence lawyer, I started the arduous process of submitting a complaint. I had to study the law, compile it all myself, facing off against a team of lawyers… and it’s been upheld!.
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My rapist is being considered for parole after only serving HALF his sentence. The hearing is scheduled for Valentine’s Day, and despite the insensitivity, I applied to attend. My application has been REFUSED. Why do rapists have more rights than their victims?
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My rapist told me no one would believe me… and now he’s in prison. His defence lawyer thought he could disobey the rules of the court and publicly humiliate me… now he’s having to pay me compensation. When will entitled, abusive men learn? We won’t stand for it anymore.
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My rapist said I “wouldn’t amount to anything”, so I put him behind bars, spoke out in the media, brought changes to the justice system, graduated with top grades… and tomorrow I’m seeing Taylor Swift! So, in the words of the legend herself: look what you made me do 😉 #ErasTour
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After doing everything possible to break me, my rapist’s lawyer told the jury that I was “the strong one”. Well, I wasn’t broken, my rapist was convicted, and now after a successful complaint, that same lawyer is facing disciplinary action. So yeah… I AM the strong one! 💪🏽⚖️
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In the early hours of New Year’s Day 2018 I was raped while unconscious by someone I trusted. This was the beginning of a cycle of abuse that lasted years. His friends and family knew but said no one would believe me. They were wrong. He spent New Year’s Day 2023 behind bars.
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6 months have passed since my abuser was found guilty of multiple rapes. I’m yet to receive an answer from Edinburgh Uni as to why they chose to let him on campus when they KNEW he was awaiting trial for rape and had already been suspended from Glasgow Uni.
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Kyle Clifford has just been found guilty of raping his ex girlfriend before brutally murdering her and her sister with a crossbow, and stabbing her mother to death. Less than 24 hours before his attack he had been listening to an Andrew Tate podcast.
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When I went to court to give evidence against my rapist I was confronted with a lawyer who ignored the law and tried to bully and break me. He didn’t succeed. Instead, I taught myself the law and pursued a case against him. And won. Today is the 1 year anniversary of that win 🥂
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I appreciate @timesscotland’s reporting as ever, but pointing out for the record that my rapist wasn’t the only one who won a host of medals 😉🥇😜🏆 #survivor #girlpower
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Red-pill men are trying to convince women they expire at 25. The photo on the left is me at 18, and the right is me now at 27. Not only do I look better, I have 2 degrees, a great career, self confidence, and strong boundaries. Perhaps that’s the bit that scares them.
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I’m still haunted by how many people knew of my rape, but didn’t act. His friends who said it “wasn’t that bad”, his parents who told him to dispose of evidence, and the 20 or so people who turned up to support him at sentencing. This is what we mean when we talk of rape culture.
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I felt so powerless and degraded watching him being humanised with these lists of accolades, while I was simply the nameless body he violated. My hopes, my dreams… all irrelevant. My first class degree, my impressive athletics career… all meaningless.
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As I was raped in my own home on a New Year’s Eve, a new tradition of mine has been to spend New Year’s abroad - as it offers a sense of newness and a fresh start. I spent last New Year’s in Riga, and I’m headed to Brussels this time. Cheers! 🥂🎇
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Women are repeatedly chastised for not leaving abusive relationships, but what happens when we do? The horrifying murders of Carol, Hannah, and Louise Hunt seemingly at the hands of Louise’s ex boyfriend show just how far some men will go to maintain their control over us.
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In 2024 I won compensation from my rapist’s lawyer for the appalling way he treated me in court. I taught myself the law and faced off against a team of lawyers… and won. In many ways 2024 pushed me to limits, but it also showed me that I am to my core a fighter.
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Today a man told me that I’m not truly traumatised by being raped because I’m career-focused and into fashion. I hear it constantly: “you don’t look like a victim”. So just to annoy them even more, here’s a picture of me taken yesterday outside parliament looking extra confident.
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While studying politics at @UofGlasgow, I was raped. He said I’d not be believed, and I’d never achieve anything. Yet I graduated with a first, & masters with distinction. Went to court, won, and then campaigned for change. Now, I’m a finalist for the World Changing Alumni Award!
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My rapist: If you come after me I’ll come after you and I’ll win. Me since then: 1st class degree, masters with distinction, multiple academic awards, magazine features, changing law/policy, travelling the world…. Him: prison and sex offenders register. Oops 😉👸🏽
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I should note that I share this to highlight the issue and push for change, not to discourage people from reporting. Not all forces seize phones, and there has definitely been a push to halt seizures. I stand by reporting my rape and would always encourage people to come forward.
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I wanted to reclaim my power, I wanted to show I wasn’t ashamed, I wanted to break stigmas, and most importantly I wanted to make change.
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I chose somewhere slightly closer to home for this New Year, but decided a really nice hotel would make for the perfect celebration. I can’t erase what happened to me, but I can try and make positive new memories wherever I can 🖤.
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Today a teenage girl in Croydon was murdered, seemingly for rejecting a man’s advances. I’ve been saying for quite some time that extreme misogyny and incel ideology is the fastest growing terrorist threat. Why aren’t we taking it more seriously - because it’s targeted at women?.
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I waived my anonymity in a joint investigation with The Times Scotland. Before my case went to court I’d started looking into university policy regarding admission of those who’d committed sexual offences. I’d found a dangerous loophole I needed to expose.
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Has anyone noticed that there’s no male equivalent for “resting bitch face”? We don’t expect men to be grinning and perpetually friendly, but when women are just minding their own business somehow we have to develop a whole term for it and chastise them for it….
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I was raped while I was ill. I was raped when I’d just come out of hospital. I was raped while I cried. I was raped while I screamed. I was raped while I was unconscious. Don’t tell me that those crimes were any lesser just because he was my boyfriend.
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Men are posting AI-generated images of Taylor Swift being sexually assaulted, and are asking for other more graphic images to be shared for their own enjoyment. They’re posting public comments about wanting to violate her. What the hell is wrong with this world?.
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Today my rapist’s bid for parole was rejected. I was denied access to the hearing and had to wait all day for the answer. Hell. But I’ve also received so much love and support that has meant the world to me. So cheers to that, and cheers to another year of him being locked up 🥂
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It’s been 4 years since Sarah Everard was abducted, raped, and murdered as she walked home. It was a crime that brought the issue of male violence against women to the forefront of public discussion. Yet, 4 years later we’re still as unsafe as ever.
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“Just go to the police they say”. I did and my phone is still being held in evidence, 3.5 years later. I had taped and written confessions, yet the guilty verdict wasn’t unanimous. I am the 1% that got a conviction, and let me tell you it’s not that simple.
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Waiving my anonymity was not an easy decision. While I’d been committed to activism for sometime and had spoken out in the media about my own experiences of racism, putting something so personal and stigma-loaded out there was terrifying. But I knew I had to.
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If only I could tell 21 year-old me who left uni following a suicide attempt after being raped - that I’d graduate with top grades, secure a conviction, campaign for change, AND be heading to parliament tomorrow to appear before the Criminal Justice Committee - she wasn’t broken.
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I’m so glad I did. From then I continued speaking out and lobbying for change on issues that were so important to me - this lead to tangible policy changes. Most importantly it also made others feel less alone.
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While this journey hasn’t been easy, and I’ve faced plenty of nastiness along the way, I’m so grateful to the thousands of you who have followed along and supported me on this journey. I am unbelievably grateful 🖤.
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That is perhaps the most special thing to me - when I hear from women every week that my story made them come forward, or made them speak out, or made them reach out for help. There is an incredible community of survivors out here, and I’m so glad I found them.
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On this day 6 years ago I was getting ready for a night out to celebrate New Year. What I didn’t know was that night someone I trusted would rape me. As I get ready to celebrate New Year tonight, he’s behind bars for what he did and I’m thriving. Cheers to what 2024 holds!🥂
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What was also incredibly important to me was seeing my community represented. As a mixed-race woman with Bengali heritage growing up in Scotland, it was rare to see minority ethnic women in public life. I’m glad I’m now able to bring a bit more diversity to the scene.
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Happy 1 year in prison to my abuser 🥂The person who told me no one would believe me is now in a cell in Barlinnie while I’m on a beach in Ibiza… justice is sweet 😉
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Last month my complaint against my rapist’s defence lawyer was upheld and he’d been found to have “abused his position”. Today, I learned of the penalty. He will be fined, ordered to pay me compensation, and issued with a “severe written censure”. Misogyny has consequences.
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As a woman who waived her anonymity publicly after being raped, I know all too well the risk that Gisele Pelicot has taken. Survivors face public scrutiny, online harassment, and risks to their safety. Yet speaking publicly is the only way to bust the stigma. She is a hero.
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Rape is common. Sexual violence is normalised. We like to think of it as rare, but it’s everywhere. And it’s “normal” men doing it. Boyfriends, friends, fathers, brothers. We need to step away from the myth that rape is just done by monsters jumping from the bushes.
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I’m a rape and abuse survivor. Today I was a keynote speaker at a conference, but the organisers were sent threats and told not to let me speak. There are some who want to silence me because I expose things they’d rather keep quiet. But mark my words, I’m not going anywhere.
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It is possible to find someone attractive without dehumanising and degrading them.
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Tomorrow a parole board will decide whether to free my rapist from prison. I’m scared, but I’m also not the same person I was when I reported him. I’ve achieved so much that I’m proud of. So tonight, I want to remember the things that no one, not even him, can take away from me.
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Ah, the old under 25 sentencing guidelines strike again… because we can’t ruin the futures of these promising young men can we?.
Liam Hughes has been jailed for six-and-a-half years after he raped three schoolgirls, and sexually assaulted another. Lord Young said what he did as an "immature teenager is less blameworthy than if you had carried out these acts as an older man" 👇.
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Last week I spoke about my own experience of domestic abuse and rape at a conference. It was supposed to be empowering, but I was informed by the organisers that they’d received threats about me speaking. I now know who sent one of the complaints, so let’s talk about it.
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I once asked my abuser why he raped me and he responded “my temporary pleasure is worth more than your temporary pain”. To those who keep talking about second chances and rehabilitation, please stop. For those who commit crimes like this, it’s impossible.
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When my rapist was found guilty and sentenced in the summer I hoped that would be the end of the matter - unfortunately he refused to take accountability and appealed. Finally got some good news today that his appeal was REFUSED!!! It’s over now, it’s finally over.
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I am immensely proud of myself for having persevered through this process and having never given up, despite the obstacles. It also goes without saying that I’m SO SO grateful to everyone who has helped me along the way and donated to my fundraiser. This happened because of you.
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This has been a year and a half long process that’s been far from easy. In order to submit the complaint, I had to access my court transcript which at the time cost thousands. I fundraised for it, which in turn helped convince @scotgov to waive transcript fees for survivors!.
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I left court feeling traumatised, shamed, and humiliated. I was accused in court of having various personality disorders with no evidential basis. I was told I made my rapist jealous. It was implied I was promiscuous.
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Misogynists are angry at me again for refusing to look like their idea of a perfect rape victim. They resent my confidence, they hate the fact I’m not ashamed of my body, and they loathe that I’m trying to live my best life. So, here’s me looking cute to annoy them even more…
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My abuser told me I would never amount to anything and I’d probably be dead by 25. Yet today I was able to sit with the First Minister and advocate on behalf of victims and survivors while he sits in prison. I am determined to harness my experience into positive change.
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I was asked by my rapist’s lawyer what I was wearing the night I was raped. I was asked if I liked attention from my male friends. And then, after my rapist was found guilty, I was told he fell in love with the “wrong person”. There’s no doubt, rape myths in court are everywhere.
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Worst of all, after my rapist was found guilty, his lawyer implied he was falsely convicted and said it was an “injustice” that I’d graduated with a first and masters with distinction. He also said that my rapist had simply “fallen in love with the wrong person”.
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Something that I’ve found striking about the discourse surrounding Netflix’s Adolescence, is that many viewers still questioned the killer’s guilt despite the evidence shown. It highlights the discomfort our society feels at holding men and boys accountable for their actions.
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This is why we say “sorry I’ve got a boyfriend”. This is why we don’t swear at the people who catcall us on the street. This is why we keep our heads down. Because we’re terrified you’ll kill us.
if this is true, he needs something worse than life in prison. sickening .
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I did not have any lawyers to help me. I am not a legal professional, so had to set about learning about the relevant sections of the law and the code of conduct for advocates. I spent hours and hours working on this complaint and going back and forth with the relevant bodies.
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My rapist’s lawyer has been ordered to pay me £1000 compensation after my complaint against him for traumatising me in court was upheld. It’s a fraction of what he earned for the case, and he still hasn’t apologised. I will now appeal the penalty, and push for a harsher sanction.
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Waiving one’s anonymity comes with risks, and for someone like Gisèle whose case has received huge amounts of coverage, those risks are significant. She has sacrificed her privacy and potentially opened herself up to threats and abuse, all in the service of societal change.
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I hope that this sets a precedent and shows advocates and other defence lawyers that actions have consequences, and they cannot say and do whatever they please regardless of the law.
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Internalised misogyny is an incredibly dangerous threat to women. Those women who would side with an abuser, who’d sell away the rights of other women, who’d gleefully take part in witch hunts and bully other women. We need to learn to recognise it, and call it out.
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This is precisely why so many defence lawyers operate within a culture of impunity. They believe they can say or do whatever they want as there won’t be consequences. They depend on the secrecy and complexity of the court system to protect them.
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At 21, I attempted suicide. Domestic abuse made me feel my life wasn’t worth living. Since then I’ve gained a couple of degrees, got a job in criminal justice, put my abuser behind bars and started campaigning on behalf of survivors. Today, I turned 26 on a rooftop pool in Dubai.
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Complaints of this nature are enormously rare, and after going through this process I can understand why. It is a complex, lengthy, and expensive process. That’s before considering the trauma and emotional toll.
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Imagine believing someone’s talent is more important than whether or not they rape and abuse women.
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My rapist said no one would believe me, so I secretly recorded his confession and sent him to prison. My rapist’s lawyer thought he could bully me in court, so I learned the law, complained about him and won compensation. And TONIGHT a BBC documentary will tell my story!
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I don’t know if France has an honours system, but I believe profoundly that Gisèle Pelicot must receive a medal for her bravery and tenacity. She is a hero, and deserves to be treated as such.
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I reported my rapist, therefore I’m vindictive. But if I didn’t report, I’d be recklessly putting others at risk. He was found guilty based on evidence I gathered, therefore I’m calculated and manipulative. But it he was found not guilty I’d be a liar.
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And to the people claiming I’m “overreacting” and there are “bigger things to worry about it”, it is exactly these attitudes and this culture around degrading women that encourages and enables rapists. As a survivor, I have to call that out just as much as real-world violence.
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Just to pat myself on the back a little more, I did all that while being abused AND managed to graduate with a first class honours degree in politics (with a couple of academic awards). Makes me wonder how limitless women could be if we didn’t have to deal with abuse/violence.
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If you “support women” until it’s a younger woman in your office; until it’s a woman who’s come forward about abuse; until it’s a woman who’s confident in herself; until it’s an ethnic minority woman; until it’s a successful woman… you don’t.
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I thought it was over. My rapist was convicted. He tried to appeal and it was quashed. Now he is appealing to the U.K. Supreme Court. The hearing is this week. The depths this person will stoop to hurt me further and shirk responsibility. I am disgusted, I am in despair.
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My rapist has received more psychological support (paid for by the taxpayer) than I, his victim, have. What does that tell you about the system?.
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@LawAspi That had it for two years in the run up to the trial (no real reason given, other than it would maybe help verify the authenticity of the digital evidence) and then they held onto it during appeals process….
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Yet again, @Gumtree has removed my ad looking for a flatmate because I stated “females only”. Apparently this could cause fear and alarm. I can only post my ad if I change it to “females preferred”. What planet are we living on?!.
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So I’ve just got news that my rapist’s attempt to appeal to the U.K. Supreme Court was REFUSED!! This likely won’t be the end of his pathetic attempts, but nothing can change the fact he’s a rapist. Meanwhile, I’m going to finish this champagne and hop on my flight to Nice 🥂
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A talented Olympic athlete was murdered on her way home from church in the most brutal way. Her ex boyfriend doused her with petrol and set her alight. A life robbed from us due to male entitlement. It’s not all men, but it’s always a man. We will remember you Rebecca Cheptegei.
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Merry Christmas to everyone except my rapist who will be enjoying his second prison Christmas 😅 He once made me believe I was nothing, but despite the trauma I’ve flourished and achieved so much in the time he’s been behind bars. Cheers to that!
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This time next year my rapist will be considered for parole, after only 2.5 years served. He’s spent most of his time in prison so far blaming me. My goal for the next year is to move so he no longer knows where I live, and prepare mentally for his release. How is this justice?.
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I just met a young woman who (along with 4 other women) was unknowingly living with my rapist while he was studying at @EdinburghUni and awaiting trial for his crimes against me. Buckle in 🧵.
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I was once told I’d never amount to anything, I was stupid, and if I ever took action for the things he’d done to me, he’d win. Yet, here I am. Court case won, and my words and investigation in @thetimesscot . I’ll take this as a win for womenkind 🤍 #survivor #scotland #justice
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My abuser used to tell me that I wasn’t particularly intelligent, and I wouldn’t go far in life… yet today I gave a speech to a packed conference room on my experience of the justice system and how it must improve. I’m making change, while he wallows in prison. Girlboss moment?
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On this day, 2 years ago, my rapist was sent to prison. I left court knowing I had to make change. Since then I successfully lobbied for free court transcripts, got universities to make campuses safer, and took successful action against my abuser’s lawyer. Pain CAN be power.
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