Consensual Sex

"After getting sexually assaulted in September, and going through a lot of trouble with the police department, the justice system, and society in general, my abuser was arrested yesterday, on August tenth."
"Let's hope for the best. Perseverance finally came a long way for me, even after I had lost all hopes. Let's all keep fighting together and one day, most cases like mine will find justice."
"Now something is actually being done. I know that I was able to help other women. I had to fight for my rights."
"I said, 'No, this isn't happening.' I said, 'No, I don't want this to happen.' I definitely made it clear. I tried to pull myself away from him. There is no way that it was consensual."
"During the whole situation, I honestly thought that I was going to die because of all the choking, because of all the hitting, because of all the physical abuse."Melodie Morin, 18, University of Ottawa student

Melodie Morin said Ottawa police initially told her the sexual assault she reported in September 2015 had been a "misunderstanding." Nine months later, the suspect was arrested while re-entering Canada via the Ottawa airport earlier this week. (CBC)

When 27-year-old Ayham Aloulabi arrived at Ottawa International Airport on Wednesday, he was immediately arrested. He now has a court date on August 22 to answer to charges of sexual assault and overcoming resistance by attempting to choke. Charges had been laid in December of 2015, and an arrest warrant issued, but by then he had left Canada.

Melodie Morin's experience with police and the justice system left her at her young age fairly disillusioned. When she had gone to police, their attitude was that there was no case, since the man she identified as her attacker, a fellow student, had informed them it was his impression that the sex had been consensual.

A friend began an online petition leading police to continue the investigation. "The conclusions of the investigator may have been premature, as not all investigative avenues have been exhausted", the police explained later.

In September of 2015 Melonie had reported having been sexually assaulted at a venue she had been invited to, as a birthday celebration. She said she had been choked, raped and spat upon. After that violent assault she described her attacker as behaving as though nothing unusual or untoward had occurred. He even courteously walked her home.

Once there, she called police, who took her to hospital, where she underwent a rape-kit test, and had the bruises she had suffered documented. A month later, she was informed by police that the case was closed. No explanation at that point how the bruises were occasioned when her attacker informed police that he had been under the impression that sex was consensual.

Justice served, better late than never?