British woman commits suicide after acquittal of alleged rapist

USPA News - A woman committed suicide Monday by jumping from the roof of a shopping center in northwest England, only three days after the acquittal of her alleged rapist, police said. The incident began at around 10:10 a.m. local time on Monday when police were called to the Wheatsheaf shopping center in Rochdale, a town near the city of Manchester, after a woman was seen standing on the roof of the mall`s car park. "Officers attended to try and resolve the incident, however the woman was later seen to fall," Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.

She was taken to Salford Royal Hospital where she later died as a result of life-threatening injuries. Police said the woman was a complainant in a court case that concluded on Friday with the defendant?s acquittal, but a police spokesman declined to provide details about the court case. British media said the woman was one of seven alleged rape victims in the case and had testified twice. Two specially-trained officers from Greater Manchester Police had visited the woman`s home on Friday evening to inform her of the verdict. The officers later reported that the woman had appeared angry and upset after hearing the news of the acquittal, and she was referred to partner agencies for further support. Police said the woman called police later that same evening in a distressed state, after which officers and paramedics responded to her house. "The woman was in a much calmer state when the officers attended, who again gave her advice and made a further referral to partner agencies helping to support the woman," police said in Monday`s statement. Greater Manchester Police said it has now referred the incident to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the woman`s death, but an IPCC spokesman was not immediately able to provide other details about the case. "Our thoughts are with the family at what is clearly a traumatic time for them and we will be offering them as much support and welfare as they need over the coming days and weeks," said Greater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Dawn Copley. "This is a terribly sad end to what has been a long and difficult case."