Believe Me

After a night clubbing in central London, an exhausted Sarah is given a drugged drink by a cab driver. She is certain she has been raped. After months of feeling disbelieved by the police, her case is dropped. He is free to attack again.

Laila, a student, is drugged and assaulted by Worboys. Despite CCTV, she appears to be dismissed by police and her case is dropped. Eventually, police spot a disturbing pattern. Meanwhile, Sarah struggles with the psychological impact of her attack.

In 2008, it becomes clear that a cab-driving serial rapist is operating in London. A new team led by Tim Grattan-Kane launches a desperate manhunt. An appeal leads a nurse who treated Laila to contact the police, which results in Worboys' arrest. Sarah and Laila, whose lives have been deeply affected by their traumatic experiences, learn of this via the media, which causes them distress.

With the help of QC Phillippa Kaufmann, Sarah and Laila receive documents on their original cases. They discover that leads were botched, incorrect information given to them, and internal investigations have largely exonerated officers. They sue the Met police under the Human Rights Act. The case is explosive, with some police officers effectively admitting to pressure from above to close down or 'no crime' some sexual assault cases to improve detection rates, and the Met loses.