Millfield House is a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), set up in partnership between Derbyshire Rape Crisis and Derbyshire Constabulary.

At Millfield House we offer a range of services to give you the best care possible. Counselling and support is available, but in addition we can give you some choices and breathing space if you have been recently raped or assaulted.

You can visit Millfield House for a medical examination following a recent rape or assault at any time.

For a counselling appointment, call the DRC office.

• You may decide to anonymously give details of the incident to the Police through a form we can provide on request. This may help with future prevention of attacks. We will help you do this if you wish. You will not have to speak to the Police directly, or be able to be identified by them.

   

• You can make a formal report to the Police about your attack at any time. We can inform you how to do this, and tell you how this works.

   

• You can also choose to have an examination by a doctor at Millfield House without informing the Police.

   

• We will store the evidence from an examination for six months. After this time we will contact you again to see what you would like to do. You can choose to destroy the evidence, or send it to the Police for analysis.

   

• After six months, we will also ask you whether or not you would like to report the incident to the Police formally. If you do, we will provide you with information of how to do this, and support you through it if you wish. If you do not wish to make a formal complaint, we will then destroy the forensic evidence taken. This does not mean you can’t make a Police report in the future if you change your mind.

   

• You can request counselling or support from us, at any of our locations.

   

• You can access the helpline for support if you choose not to have counselling.

At no time will we pass your details on to the Police without your permission.

We will support you in whatever decisions you choose to make.

You can make a formal report to the Police about your assault at any time.

If you have been raped or sexually assaulted in the last 10 days, and think you might want to report it to the Police, we advise the following:

• Talk to Millfield House—we can give you some choices and breathing space
• If you haven’t already, don’t wash
• Keep all clothing and underwear you were wearing. Put them in separate bags and don’t wash them. If you have washed them, don’t worry, still put them in separate bags
• Keep any sanitary towels or tampons worn at the time of the incident
• Keep any discarded condoms from the incident
• Keep and do not wash bedding that the incident took place on
• If your attacker drank anything, don’t wash the glass or cup
• If your attacker smoked, keep any cigarette ends
• If your attacker chewed gum and discarded it, retrieve it and store it in the fridge
• If you have any injuries, ask a trusted friend or family member to photograph them.

If you’re able to do any of these things, even though they are difficult for you, the evidence you may preserve is likely to greatly help the Police in pursuing your case if you decide to report it.