The date started well. There were drinks at the local pub, hours of talking, laughter. But by the end of the night Kat had been brutally attacked.
In a heartbreaking Facebook post, Victorian woman Kat Berry has shared the horrific story of being raped by a man she met via dating app, Plenty of Fish, in October last year. Accompanying the tale are shocking pictures of her battered, bruised body.
“It was fun, but there was nothing sexual there,” the 31-year-old wrote. “Until I decided I’d had way too much to drink and I needed to go to bed. That’s when he got violent.”
via Facebook/katberry84.
The confronting photographs show the visible damage done to her arms, neck, collar bone and breasts. But that was just the beginning.
"What no one knows is of what scars I have under my boobs, around my vagina, my clitoris, or the internal damage done," Kat wrote.
via Facebook/katberry84.
The Bendigo woman reported the crime to the police, but said there was little they could do - her attacker had given a false name, changed his number and deleted his profile on the app.
"I had no proof to show he had done it to me," Kat told The Daily Mail. "There was no DNA because he had used a condom."
via Facebook/katberry84.
Kat claims that the man had two other victims, but escaped a conviction in a Queensland court.
"It’s scary to know what some people are capable of," she told The Daily Mail. "He came across as a friendly tradie. He didn't seem like that type of person."
And that's precisely why she decided to share her story, to warn other single women to approach blind dating with caution.
"Just please be aware, and just.be.f**king.careful," she wrote. "Please."
Top Comments
From the responses here I get the feeling that people don't realise how common this is. I also get the feeling people don't believe her but don't want to come out and say it. I am just an average woman, who has lived a pretty boring, average life and this has happened to me (all true, wish is wasn't) Molested by 2 male family members as a kid, mild stuff but it made me feel like a slut. Early teens had a male flasher that exposed himself daily to me. Molested daily by boys at primary school (can't believe I nearly forgot that one!) not mild stuff, they literally touched my boobs and pulled at them. Was nearly gang raped. Was raped by a partner. Never been to police, too scared and when i was young did not want to rock the boat. I reported the attempted gang rape but was discouraged from going any further than that.
I have a girlfriend who was raped by her biological dad, tells me she will never go to police because she does not want to disgrace family. My sis has THREE friends all molested by male family members. My sis was stalked for years by an ex. She was also abused by another ex. Not mild stuff, he was a horror. No bad boys so far, nice guys - truly! I don't have time to write about the experiences of other friends. But want to write that one friend did go to police and also told school about awful abuse at the hands of fellow school boy, late teens - he got a slap on the wrist and had the audacity to continue the abuse and I am happy to tell the victim blamers and shamers that he is now a hot shot lawyer. Writing this I wish it was all lies and that I was exaggerating! I WISH
Feel like I should also make a point that drugs and drink were not involved in any of this abuse and none of these men had any mental health issues (although I don't know about the flasher).
My gosh - what horrible, terrifying and heartbreakingly awful situations.
I'm so sorry you and others have experienced this in your life.
Blessings to you xxx
Okay, I'm just wondering, for all those #what about men, if there has EVER been an incident where you have gone out with a woman, using a dating app - or any meeting really - and come back looking like this? Or better yet, have the fear that you may go out and come back looking like this? Anyone?
What on earth are you going on about? What comment here do you take issue with?
I think she is referring to the men that come to this site complaining about feminists.
I think it's the fact that there wasn't much 'physical evidence' of the rape, according to the author herself. There seemed like plenty of physical evidence of a violent physical assault, however, and I think that's what this commenter is disgusted by.
I don't think they are complaining about the feminists, it's more to do with finding acceptance that men also have their own unique issues as do women and then finding a stubborn push-back laced with ridicule from some people here.
Every-time the issue of men being hurt or suffering in any way is raised here, those hashtags appear without fail which is exactly what the OP did even without any provocation by any comment. what about the menz, not all menz, I bathe in menz tears.
Both men and women have their own unique issues, and I struggle to understand why some people find that so hard to accept.